


Son Of A Gun (Uh- God*)

by Starkvenger



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Justice League - All Media Types, Shazam! (2019), Shazam! | Captain Marvel (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Billy Batson Needs a Hug, Childhood Memories, Demigod Billy Batson, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Secrets, Flashbacks, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Foster Care, Hades is a Good Parent, Justice League (DCU) as Family, Memories, Mount Olympus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Olympians, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Persephone Goes Willingly With Hades (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Protective Bruce Wayne, Protective Clark Kent, Protective Diana (Wonder Woman), References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Secret Identity, Twelve Gods of Olympus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:48:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24317569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starkvenger/pseuds/Starkvenger
Summary: Billy Batson was 10 when he was chosen to be Shazam's Champion and wield the power of Zeus.It was kinda weird for him, considering the guy's his uncle.Yeah, his dad isn't too pleased about his day job.
Relationships: Billy Batson & Hades, Billy Batson & Justice League, Billy Batson & Other(s), Billy Batson & Shazam | Mamaragan, Hades/Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Comments: 238
Kudos: 660





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, here we go. My current hyper-fixation, making Billy Batson a genuine demigod. Here's hoping this holds my attention and motivation long enough to finish it.
> 
> By the Gods please let me finish this.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy meets his real father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: Paragraphs in Italics are Flashbacks/memories, though it's fairly obvious.
> 
> Not gonna lie to you guys- this fic is 110% self-indulgent.

\- - -

_The toddler felt like he was flying as he was tossed into the air, giggling as he fell and warm, calloused hands wrapped around his midsection and caught him. He was tossed up again, more laughter coming from the 3-year-old and from the man throwing him._

_The man, who's hair was reminiscent of a bluejay and was draped in studded leather, had a smile on his face as he caught the boy, spinning him around before finally setting him back in his crib. "That's enough of that, pipsqueak," he whispered with a smile. "You're more than alright now."_

_Icy blue eyes looked down at the toddler with warmth and longing as the storm that had woken the boy up and made him cry raged on outside. The man glanced out the window as rain hailed against the glass, looking out into the dark sky of the night before looking back down at the raven-haired child._

_"Scared of a bit off thunder..." he muttered, shaking his head. "My brother would never let me live it down if he knew my son were scared of his handiwork, little flame."_

_He crouched, getting at eye level with the small boy and looking at him through the bars of his crib. "You gonna be alright now?" he asked, wrapping his hands around the bars and grinning warmly as the boy set his much smaller hand over the top of one of his._

_The boy sniffled, nodding his head slowly. The man knew he could talk, he'd heard the boy babble about everything and nothing before, they'd had long conversations about birds and toys and fire- but when he got scared, he clammed up. "Yeah..." the boy said softly. He could tell the boy wanted to say more, but stayed quiet._

_The man with blue hair like a bluejay's smirked, standing up as a light came on in the hallway. "Good. Then get some sleep, okay? I'll check on you in the morning," he said before vanishing into wipes of black smoke._

_The bedroom door opened and the light flicked on, revealing a woman with pillowy chestnut hair that rested on her shoulders and bright green eyes. "Billy, baby, are you okay?" she asked, flicking on the light and stifling a yawn as she came into the room and had a look around. "I heard you crying."_

_"Mhm- Mister Blue helped me not be scared no more..." Billy mumbled, smiling softly to himself as he thought of the man._

_The woman furrowed her brow in thought before taking another look around the room. "Mister Blue is your...your play-time friend, right? One mommy that can't see?" she asked, her tone slightly worried as she came closer to the crib._

_Billy shook his head, standing up and gripping the top of the crib excitedly. "Nu-uh! Mister Blue is real! He calls me lil' flame!" he said excitedly, his mother's expression changing to that of shock._

_"What...?"_

_Billy gave her a big smile and the woman sighed, rubbing a hand against her face. "Well...you tell me if you see Mister Blue again...okay, sweetheart? Mommy would love to talk to him."_

_"Okay, mama."_

_The woman smiled softly, her gaze warm as she ran her fingers through the small boy's dark black, almost blue hair. "I love you, Billy."_

_"love you too."_

\- - -

Billy woke with a start, eyes opening to stare at the dull, cream-colored ceiling above him.

The small boy yawned, shoving a pudgy fist into his eye socket and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He sat up slowly, looking around the bare room in confusion. He'd found himself dreaming of his mom and his old imaginary friend more and more ever since he'd been sent here.

Littlewood Orphanage, the place 7-year-old Billy Batson had been at for the past week, wasn't so bad. He'd been whisked here after his mom's brother, his uncle Ebenezer, suddenly fell ill (though, by the looks of him, the old man had seemed the same as when his mom and dad had dropped him off there before they left for their trip). Now he was just waiting until his parents came back from their trip.

Whenever he brought it up with one of the workers, they'd give him a weird look before guiding him somewhere and spending time with him- it was confusing, no one would tell him anything. He'd asked once or twice when his parents were coming back, and the first time he'd caused a young girl to burst into tears, while the second time he'd just been picked up by a portly woman and held.

It was confusing and tiring- and he was getting homesick, he wanted to see his mom again.

Billy clambered off his bed, looking around the room and glancing at the other bed in the room- it had originally belonged to a blonde boy, but in his time here, the boy had packed up his things and left with some adults- Billy assumed they were his parents by how happy he looked. 

The 7-year-old glanced back at his bed, his worn backpack laying underneath the old wooden frame. He'd been attached to the thing since arriving here, not letting anyone touch it or take it away. It still smelled like home, and it had all his most important things inside- no one was allowed to touch it.

He thought about leaving it there for now and going to eat breakfast but felt a strange tingling in the back of his head that told him something could go wrong if he left it.

He ran back to the bed and shouldered the bag, feeling the familiar weight against his back and making the feeling go away. 

The boy sighed, sitting down on the bed. He wasn't really hungry, but he knew that some of the people that worked there would come and get him if he never went to breakfast. He was tired of being here. It was like daycare, but even at night- he didn't really care for it.

The door to his room suddenly closed, making the boy's head snap towards it. Doors didn't usually just shut on their own. He furrowed his brow in confusion, grabbing hold of the straps of his backpack. The room suddenly felt familiar and warm, giving the boy a weird tingle up his spine. 

"Hello?" he asked, looking around the room. 

He knew that feeling- that tingle- he'd felt this before, he knew what this was, but he just- he couldn't put his finger on what this exactly was. He just knew it was familiar. 

"What're you doin' in a place like this, little flame?" a very familiar voice asked from behind him, causing the raven to glance back with wide eyes and a smile.

The man from his dream, the imaginary friend he hadn't seen since his papa had that big party with his mama, the one where there was a big cake and his mam wore a pretty white dress, was standing behind him with a smirk on his face and his hands shoved into his torn black pants. 

"Mister Blue!" he said happily, getting a confused grin from the blue-haired man as Billy scrambled off the bed, letting his backpack fall to the floor as he hugged the man's legs. He was warm like a fire, nice and inviting against Billy's more often than not chilled skin.

"Is that what you think my name is?" he asked with a raised eyebrow as he kneeled down in front of the boy and pulled him into a hug. "I _do_ got a real one, kiddo. Personally, I think Hades is much better than 'Mister Blue'."

"I thought I made up your name cause I made you," Billy said, tilting his head in confusion as he pulled back from the hug. 

The blue-haired man chuckled, taking a seat on the wooden floor and causing the chains attached to his leather jacket to clink. "Is that what you think?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. "Well, I think you got that backwards, little flame."

"What do you mean?" Billy asked with a furrowed brow.

"I _mean_ ," the man continued, leaning forward slightly to poke Billy's belly with a finger. " _I_ made _you_." He leaned back on his arms as Billy giggled. "Or, well, I helped, at least."

Billy furrowed his brow further. Hades chuckled, pulling the boy into his lap with a laugh. "I'm tryin' to say I'm your _dad_ , kid."

The 7-year-old glanced up at him with wide eyes, pulling back to stare at him openly. "But I already _got_ a papa," he said, thinking of the dark-haired man his mama loved so much. "How can I have _two_ papas?" 

"Well, he's not _really_ your dad. He might've married your mom, but you and I are blood, little flame."

"Blood?"

"It means that we're family- that you're a part of me," Hades replied, tilting his head and looking at the boy softly. "The man your mom married, he still might be your dad to you, but my ichor runs through you."

Billy lit up in delight, throwing himself against the God's chest and hugging him tightly. He smiled softly, bringing an arm around Billy's back to rub small circles in it. "Why're you here? Are you bringing me back home?" Billy asked, pulling back as icy blue eyes mirrored one another. "Are we gonna go see mama?!" he asked excitedly. 

Hades' shoulders dropped slightly, his hand stilling against Billy's back as his smile vanished. "About that..." he said slowly, pulling the boy away from his chest. "Kid...do you know what a God is?" he asked, looking the boy in the eyes.

"Like the one papa talks about?" Billy asked.

"Sort of," Hades replied, biting his bottom lip in through before continuing. "A God is a being with a lot of power. They have dominion- or uh, control a lot of how the world works," he explained slowly. "There are lots of Gods- ones that control the ocean, ones that control the lightning, ones that control the seasons..." Billy nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm a God too, you see."

Billy's eyes widened. "Is that why you're hair's so blue?" he asked innocently. Hades chuckled, nodding in response.

"Sort of, kiddo. I control what's called the Underworld. That's- that's where people go after they die."

"Die?"

The God sighed, bringing a hand up to rub at his eye. "Yeah...die. It's when you go to sleep and don't wake up again. The underworld is where these people go to exist after- and it's where I live. I'm the King of that place."

"Like the gimmeaper?" Billy asked.

"The...what?"

"The gimmeaper. The guy with the sharp stick and the hood."

"Wait- the Grim Reaper?"

"Yeah! That's what I said!"

The God chuckled, shaking his head. "No, no. Not like that. I don't kill people, son. I just make sure the people that have died don't try to come back to Earth. We can't have dead people walking around in the light of day- it would scare the living people," he said, giving the boy the most bare-bones explanation he could in an attempt to get him to understand.

"You said you was a king- does that make me a prince?" Billy asked, easily switching subjects. 

The God grinned. "I guess it does, in a way, little flame."

"But listen, the reason it's important that you know I'm the ruler of the Underworld is because..." he trailed off- how was he supposed to explain this? He knew the boy didn't know his mother and step-father were dead, he was asking to see them for Zeus's sake.

He sighed. Just rip the bandage off. 

"They're dead, Billy. I came for you because your mother...she came to the Underworld."

Billy's smile vanished, browed furrowing in confusion as he paled slightly. "What?"

"But...but mama said she was just gonna go dig in Egypt and she'd come back. Why- why is she-"

Hades swallowed thickly- he'd never had to explain to someone that their loved one was dead before- he only really dealt with humans after that fact. This- this was completely new to him, he was surprised the boy even comprehended what death meant.

He hated this feeling, but this was his son- he had to do this, for him.

"There was an accident," Hades said, remembering the file that one of his assistants had given him when Marilyn's file had finally come through. The pyramid she and her husband had been excavating had collapsed with them inside, burying all 30 members of the crew.

"I know that your mother and- and your step-father loved you very much," Hades said, looking down at the boy as tears began to bead in the corners of his eyes. "But I hope you'll give me a chance. I'm here to take you home with me."

Billy's eyes flicked up towards the God in fear. "But I don' wanna die!"

Hades' eyes widened slightly when he realized his mistake. "Oh, no no- I'm not- no, you don't understand, kid," he said, swallowing thickly. "You're- you're half God. A _demigod_. You can come and go from the Underworld as you please."

Billy was bust wiping his tears from his cheeks as he hiccuped, so the blue-haired man continued. "I want you to live with me because I don't think you should be alone. You're my kid, I'm not gonna let my little flame be snuffed out by the darkness of this world."

"C-can I see my mama?" the boy asked through hiccuped sobs, still trying to rub his tears away. 

The man sighed, bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his neck in thought. "Well..." he thought about it- he _really_ wasn't supposed to move any souls around from where they ended up, but letting the boy see his mother one last time couldn't hurt _too_ much. He _was_ the King of the Underworld, after all, what good was being in charge if you couldn't break a couple of rules every now and then?

"Alright," he said finally, his resolve breaking for the boy. He had a feeling this would become a regular thing if he wasn't careful. 

"Really?!" Billy asked, eyes wide and smile even wider as tear trails stained his bright red cheeks. Hades rubbed a warm thumb over his son's skin, wiping the moisture away. 

"Sure, kiddo."

\- - -


	2. Some Call It Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Destiny comes a callin' for dear ol' Billy Batson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're gonna bounce around after this one- Flashbacks will always be in italics, and I'll try to keep things chronological otherwise, but I'm tryin' a new format and seeing how it goes.

\- - -

"Hey pops? I'm goin' to Fawcett- Freddy's waiting for me," Billy said as he came running down the carved brimstone stairs, hanging a hand on the corner and bolting through the cave. Floating candles surrounded him, the enchanted lights allowing the 10-year-old to see as they lit up the various chambers he and his father called home.

"Dad? Where are you?" he called out, slowing to a walk and looking around. He poked his head into the kitchen, glancing around and spotting a wicker basket full of fruits and veggies- Persephone must finally be home.

His father was probably spending time with the Goddess out in the makeshift gardens they'd managed to create for the fall and winter months- it had taken Hades and Billy _way_ too long to get enough soil from Earth without Persephone's help, but his dad had wanted it to be a surprise, so Billy couldn't really complain. He'd really loved seeing the joy and surprise on his foster mother's face when they'd finally showed the garden to her.

Billy hummed to himself as he grabbed an apple and slipped it into the worn backpack hanging from his shoulders before heading towards the garden. He wound through various passages and hallways, letting his feet guide him through what would almost feel like a maze to anyone who wasn't familiar with his father's palace like Billy was.

"Dad?" He called out again, coming out into the garden- a large cavern with a glowing ball of fire hanging from a chain in the center. It acted as a miniature sun for the plants, though it had to be replaced every month. Hades had said he was going to teach Billy how to conjure it soon, and he was looking forward to it, despite his father's jabs at his exctiement- though right now, he just wanted to find the God himself.

"Come on, pops, where are you?" he called out again as he maneuvered around large sunflowers and stepped over gourds and melons. Persephone preferred to keep her gardens wild and untamed, something that had, on more than one occasion, caused some plants to be crushed. To be fair though, it hadn't been by Billy- his father had heavy footsteps and didn't really tend to pay much attention to where he was stepping.

Speaking of the heavy-footed God, Billy finally found him and Persephone, a brunette with golden highlights running through her long hair and soft green eyes, sitting amongst the plants atop a gnarled and twisted bench- one of the first things Billy had ever successfully conjured somewhat on his own.

The thing probably would have collapsed in on itself a long time ago had his father not cast some sort of spell on it to make it sturdy, and Billy still cringed whenever he saw it. He'd made that thing nearly two years ago by this point- it was hideous, but his father refused to get rid of it.

Speaking of his father, the God was as decked out in studded leather and tattered clothing as ever and motioned with his head towards the boy in greeting. "Oh, hey kiddo. What's up?" he asked, the Goddess currently resting her head in his lap glancing towards the 10-year-old. 

"I'm about to leave for Fawcett City. Freddy's waiting for me," he said, gripping the straps of his backpack. 

"Oh alright- got your key?" The blue-haired man asked.

"Yep," Billy replied, pulling out a literal skeleton key- carved of bone and forged in blue hellfire- from under his shirt. It hung from a black cord and was always pressed against his chest, serving as a guaranteed portal back to the Underworld from any doorway, as Billy couldn't really create portals and didn't have his father's affinity for teleporting between realms. 

The boy tucked it back under his shirt with a grin. "I'll be back before dinner- see ya!" he said excitedly before hopping backward and taking off out of the garden as his father chuckled and shook his head. 

"Later, little flame-" called his father. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" he said with a laugh.

"Be safe!" called his foster mother.

Billy went to the first door he saw, pulling out his key and shoving it into the keyhole easily. He turned it and opened the door, revealing a bright white light. It was still crazy to think that this was considered normal to him now- three years prior, he'd never have thought about this being his life. 

His father was a God, one of the Big Three, and he'd been teaching him _magic_ of all things. He'd grown so close to the man in such a short amount of time, learning all sorts of things- how to meld into the shadows and speak to the dead, how to spot a rogue spirit on Earth, the etiquette and manners he had to adopt when speaking to other Gods, how to defend himself against both mortal and monster. 

Sure, he was still learning how to defend himself against the second, but he'd more than learned how to take care of himself against any man.

Billy grinned to himself and stepped into the portal, letting a familiar tingling light wash over him as he was transported to Earth.

\- - -

_Billy glanced down with a furrowed brow at the strange-looking key that had been placed in his hands. It held an odd weight to it, though the key itself was fairly light. "What's this for, papa? You don't got a front door," the 8-year-old asked, tilting his head in confusion as he looked up at the man._

_"Well, that key's not for the underworld, kid," Hades said, kneeling down in front of the boy. "Its a portal maker. You know that glowing circle we went through when I first brought you here?" he asked, getting a nod in response. "Well this key can make those glowing circles- it'll let you go to Earth whenever you want- as long as you tell me you're going there first."_

_The 8-year-old's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked in amazement._

_Hades nodded, a smirk on his face at his son's open expressions. "Why don't you try it out? Stick it in a lock, and think about where you wanna go. We'll go through it together, alright?" he said, standing up._

_Billy grinned widely, hugging the key tight to his chest before taking off towards the nearest door- a closet. He shoved the key clumsily into the hole and turned it, eyes shut tightly as the door opened to bright light. "I did it!" he said, opening his eyes at the light and glancing back at his father._

_"Did you see me? Did you see me? I did it!"_

_"Oh I saw you alright, kid. Good job," Hades replied, ruffling the boy's hair. Billy beamed, hugging the man's leg as the God smirked down at him. "Alright, alright, enough of that, I got a reputation, you know," he said with a chuckle as the pair stepped through the portal and vanished from the Underworld._

\- - -

Billy stepped out of the glowing portal, skipping down a trio of steps before glancing back at to see what kind of building he came out of. It seemed to be an abandoned one by the looks of the boarded-up windows, but that was good for him- it usually meant no one was around to give him a funny look when they saw magic out on display.

"Gar- Garner street..." he mumbled to himself as he gripped his backpack straps tightly, shifting his bag as he tucked his key back under his shirt. "But which way's Finnis..." he muttered, looking around and trying to orient himself.

He knew Fawcett pretty well, but he had trouble with street names. Billy much preferred to rely upon memory and where buildings were than learn street names. 

The 10-year-old decided to simply set off in a direction and look for something familiar- he'd figure it out from there. He started walking down a sidewalk and hummed gently to himself, glancing around at the trees that were beginning to turn orange and yellow.

He probably should have brought a jacket, now that he thought about it- ever since he moved in with his dad, Billy had had a hard time functioning well in the cold. 

It found a way to sink into his bones and settle there, making his muscles ache and sapping his energy- Hades had said it had something to do with him being born of flame and ember, but all Billy knew was that it meant playing in the snow wasn't as much fun as the kids in the streets made it out to be. 

He ignored the thoughts of the cold in favor of trying to find someplace familiar- only to hear a sudden commotion coming from an alley. He furrowed his brow and paused, moving towards the sound on instinct.

Any normal person would probably keep moving and pretend they didn't hear anything rather than go looking for trouble, but Billy wasn't any normal person- he couldn't just move on if there was something or someone that might need help. 

"Hello?" he called out, looking around the trash-ridden alleyway. "Somebody back here?" he asked.

He turned a corner to find a pair of teenagers holding an old man at knifepoint- the old man was trembling, his worn and shaggy clothes hanging off his thin frame. These guys were harassing a homeless man- it didn't matter what they wanted, Billy had to put a stop to it.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" he yelled, hands curling into fists as he glared at the pair that were much bigger than him. The trio glanced towards him, the teenagers bursting into laughter. 

"What're you gonna do, pipsqueak?" one asked, sneering down at the child.

Billy glanced around, spotting a rock and picking it up before lobbing it in the teen with the knife's direction. "I _said_ leave him alone," he growled, trying to put the fire that burned in his core into his words without actually spitting fire- something he'd found out he could do after a very _heated_ argument with his father.

It didn't do anything to intimidate the pair, but they did turn their attention fully on Billy- giving the elderly man a chance to escape.

He did just that, scrambling away and bolting out of the alley. 

" _Now_ look what you did- how're we supposed to get money now?" The taller of the two asked, grip tightening on his knife as Billy took a step back. 

He swallowed thickly- he probably should have thought this through. "Not- not my problem," Billy growled before turning on his heel and talking off in the opposite direction of the teenagers twice his size. 

"Get him!" the teenager yelled before the pair took off after the boy. 

Billy scrambled out of the alley and around a corner, worn sneakers sliding on the pavement as he turned and ran in front of shops and bistros. He darted across the street and narrowly avoided getting hit by a car, risking a glance over his shoulder to find the teenagers keeping up with him- and gaining distance.

He swallowed thickly and tried to put on more speed- he needed to find a place to duck into so he could open a portal. The 10-year-old ran through a wrought-iron gate and through a park, dodging and weaving around children as he ran. 

He managed to pick up a handful of sand as he ran across a volleyball court and throw it at the teenagers, though it only slowed them down for a moment while Billy darted through another gate and out of the park. There was no place that he could possibly go where he would have enough time to put his key into a lock- he needed to lose these guys first and foremost.

The 10-year-old spotted a subway station and made a beeline for it, running across the street and maneuvering around people. He hopping onto the guardrail and slid down, putting some more distance between him and the teenagers, but not much. He managed to bound over the turnstile, glancing back at it guiltily and knowing Charon would be glaring at him for not paying the fee. 

He made it onto the subway platform- something he'd never actually seen before and would probably be super cool if he wasn't running for his life- and ran into a train as it started to close its doors. He slammed against the opposite door, getting a strange look from a woman sitting down as he leaned against it, breathing heavily. The teenagers slammed their fists against the glass as the train took off, the boy letting out a shaky breath as they vanished.

Billy closed his eyes and sat down on the floor, light flickering above him suddenly and causing him to open his eyes again, glancing up at it before looking around- only to find himself alone. The boy tensed, scrambling to his feet and looking around tensely. "Hello?" he called out, one hand going to grip his backpack strap tightly. "Is- is anyone there?" he asked, fear beginning to edge at his senses.

The lights flickered again before the door he was pressed up against suddenly opened, causing him to fall backward and onto hard stone. His first instinct was he was back in the Underworld, but that wouldn't make sense- his father's portals didn't work like that, plus the God much preferred Billy to fight his own battles.

The man's thinking was what was the point in showing him how to fight if he was just going to bail Billy out whenever he got into trouble?

The raven stood with a wince, glancing down at wrapped elbows as he looked around. The subway car took off without him, leaving him stranded in this weird cavern that absolutely reeked of magic. It ebbed and flowed through everything around him and gave the boy chills- it was almost exhilarating. 

Billy chewed on his bottom lip and took an uncertain step forward. Something tugged at his core, pulling him forward and further into the cavern. He passed by a series of cartoon-esque marble statues, each with a sin labeled beneath them. Billy furrowed his brow at them and continued to walk, looking around at the rock walls. "Hello?" he called out, unsure if it would be better or worse if he was alone.

"Billy Batson."

The boy flinched, head whipping towards whatever had said his name- and finding an elderly man sitting on a stone throne. Wait- Billy knew that man. "Hey, you- you're that guy. The one those teenagers were messing with. Are- are you okay?" he asked, overlooking the fact that he was in this place and was dressed completely differently.

"I'm fine, Billy Batson."

"Wait, how do you know my name?" 

"I know a lot about you, Billy."

"You know how creepy that sounds, right?" he asked with a nervous chuckle, getting a tired grin from the man as he stood. 

"I tend to find magic makes many things less 'creepy' as you put it. Its something you're familiar with, no?" The man asked as he came down the stone stairs. "Being the son of a God, I would assume you'd be."

Billy blinked, swallowing thickly. "How do you-" 

"Magic, Billy."

The raven shook his head, watching as the man came closer. "O-okay, well- what is this place? Why am I here? I was just on a subway train and now i'm here, and I don't even know where _here_ is," he said, grip tightening slightly on his backpack straps. Sure, he was slightly more prepared for this kind of thing than he'd be if Hades wasn't his father, but this was still weird- he'd never met another magic user, especially not someone like this.

"Are you a wizard or something?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

"I am Shazam, Guardian of the Rock of Eternity and Lord of Order," the man said, his voice ancient as thunder rolled in the distance and put the boy on edge. The man took another step forward, placing his staff between them.

"And I believe you, Billy, are pure of heart."

The 10-year-old furrowed his brow in confusion. "I...don't understand."

"For many years I've searched for someone to be my Champion, someone to protect the Rock of Eternity- my time on this plane is nearly over, and I need someone to carry on in my stead." The old man said, looking down at the raven. "I want _you_ to be my champion, the protector of magic."

"Ch-champion? But I'm a kid- how am I supposed to be some- some Champion? I can't protect this- this place, I can barely cast a simple spell- I'm junk at it," Billy said, his head dropping. Shazam's gaze softened and he lifted the boy's chin with the end of his staff.

"Billy Batson, there is more to you than you realize. A demigod in itself is a powerful being, a child of Hades unheard of. But a demigod that is pure of heart had the capability to do so much for this world- you could do so much good, if only you'd allow yourself to see your potential to help people."

"You...you really think I...I could...could help people?" he asked softly, looking up at the man with big blue eyes. 

"I do."

Billy's face scrunched up slightly in thought, the 10-year-old chewing on his bottom lip in thought before a determined gaze met Shazam's. "Ok. Yeah, ok- what do I gotta do?" he asked. 

"Simply say my name, with conviction and purpose, and allow my magic to flow through you."

"Your name?"

The wizard nodded once, smiling as he held out his staff. Billy placed his hand on the top, swallowing thickly and drawing in a deep breath. "Okay." 

_"SHAZAM!"_

Billy felt a familiar tugging at his core as the heavens split open and enveloped him in light. He felt a tingle in his fingertips that drew inward to his chest before light exploded outward. He felt a familiar energy running through him, one he recognized as his eyes snapped open. "That's _Zeus_ ," he breathed, eyes widening at the sound of his voice.

Shazam smiled, taking a step back, looking him up and down. Billy followed his gaze, glancing down to find a muscular form instead of his usual scrawny one. He had a form-fitting bright red suit on with golden accents and a billowing white cape, something that threw him entirely for a loop. "I- I look like Superman," he said in shock.

"I supposed your form is reminiscent of the Kryptonian."

Billy glanced at the old man before bubbling with laughter. "I'm a grown-up! I'm- I'm a superhero!!" he said excitedly, lighting up with cheer.

"I suppose that's what you could be called, yes. Though, the superheroes of today often have a moniker they go by, correct? I'm sure you don't want to be simply known as 'the Champion'."

Billy chuckled, scratching at the back of his head. "I guess not- hmm...superhero name...superhero name..." he muttered, bringing his hand around to chew on his thumb nail. "Oh! What about Captain Marvel?" he asked, getting a warm smile from Shazam.

"I think that suits you well."

\- - -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm???? Whatcha thinkkkk?????


	3. No Secrets Between Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy tells his father about what happened with the Wizard.

\- - -

It may have been a week since he'd gotten his powers from the wizard, but Billy was still riding the high from that entire encounter. He'd found out he could do so many things- he could fly, harness his uncle's lightning, he was bulletproof, could probably beat the Flash in a race, and the spells he cast as Captain Marvel were always perfect.

The only problem was that he had yet to tell his dad.

He honestly wasn't sure what his father would think about these new powers- especially since they were so closely tied to his younger brother. Hades had this whole feud between him and Zeus, one that apparently went back centuries and that he'd recently drawn Billy into. The pair were always tense around one another, with the only levity being when Billy or Posideon could separate the two or get some ambrosia in them.

Billy really wasn't looking forward to telling his father about his new abilities, but he couldn't avoid the God forever. 

The 10-year-old chewed on his lip as he ran his thumb over the skeleton key in his hand, letting out a breath as he shoved it into the door. He opened it and stepped through the portal, stumbling through the entrance and over something. The raven was sent crashing onto the ground, groaning in pain. He glanced back at what he'd tripped on, finding what looked like a femur bone laying on the ground.

"Ugh...Dad? Is Cerberus inside?" he called out, wincing in pain as he stood up and picked up the massive bone. "Ow..."

"He's in here, kid!" his dad's voice came from somewhere else in the cavern, and Billy followed it to the living room. He found his father lounging in a throne of sorts, though every piece of furniture in the room was reminiscent of a throne, with an absolutely massive black, three-headed dog halfway in his lap. 

The dog was about as tall as Billy, its heads topping out at five feet and looming ever so slightly over the boy. "Cerbie! Come're Cerbie!I got your bone!" he cooed, waving the femur around and causing the dog to get excited. The hound slammed its paws into his father's stomach and bounced off of him, making the man wheeze as Billy threw the bone. 

"ooh hoo hoo...ow...that was evil, kiddo," Hades said, rubbing his stomach before sitting up in his chair. The god sniffed the air for a moment, furrowing his brow in confusion. "Why did you reek of ozone? Did it rain in Fawcett?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Billy shook his head, and his father rolled his eyes. "Did my brother bug you? I'm gonna smack him with one of his own lightning bolts, I swear," he said, throwing his head back dramatically and lounging in the throne-couch. 

"No...no...I um... I actually need to talk to you about that..." Billy said slowly, watching as his father gave him a look.

"Why does it feel like I'm being broken up with?"

\- - -

All things considered, his dad took it fairly well- sure, there were a couple of new scorch marks on the wall and Cerberus was currently cowering in the corner, but no one had gotten burned and nothing was _really_ damaged, so Billy considered it a win.

"Look, Dad, I just- Shazam said that this was what I was destined for," Billy said as his father paced back in forth in front of him. His hair was on fire currently, something that only happened when Hades' emotions got the better of him. "This isn't a big deal, dad..."

"Not a big deal?! Do you have any idea how much Zeus is going to hold this over my head? I got _one_ kid, and now he's got my little brother's lightning running through his veins! How- how does that even-" The flames lapping at his hair flared out, heating up the room.

"Dad... please calm down..." Billy said, standing up. "Listen- _listen_ , pops!" he said over the God's frantic mutterings, getting him to sit down on his plush throne. "Look- you always say that your ichor runs through me- that's what makes me _your_ son," he said, grabbing the God's hand. "I'm not Uncle Zeus's kid, dad. Just cause I can harness his lightning, doesn't mean he's my dad."

He squeezed the man's hand. There were very few things that people knew about Hades; he was a man that liked his reputation of being a mean, snarly, badass; but Billy had seen more sides to this man than anyone else. He knew his dad didn't trust easily, but when he did, he trusted with his whole being. He knew that Hades had a soft spot for both him and Persephone- he was overprotective, even if he didn't like to show it, and he was terrified of being abandoned.

"I'm not going anywhere, dad. I'm still on your side. Team Skull for life, right?" he asked, looking the God in the eyes as the flames in his hair started to go out. "Who knows, maybe its even something _you_ can hold over _him_. You only have one kid, and I got both you _and_ his powers in me. None of _his_ kids have that."

Hades sighed, grabbing Billy by the front of his shirt and yanking him on top of him. He squeezed the boy in a tight hug, turning so that he was lying on the couch-throne. "How'd you get to be so grown-up?" he asked, laying his head back on the dark black leather of the couch.

Billy shrugged. "Its the trauma."

Hades snorted, shoving the boy off of him and onto the carpet. "The _trauma_ ," he parroted dramatically. "Alright then- you'd better show me just what this Champion form of yours looks like, so Cerberus doesn't try and munch on you should you decide to come home without changing," he said, sitting up with a roll of his eyes.

"Aww, Cerbie would never hurt me, would you good boy?" Billy asked as the three-headed hound came over to him and started to lick him. "No he wouldn't...Cerbie's the bestest boy, that's why- huh Cerbie? Are you the bestest boy?" the boy cooed as the dog continued to lick him as he got out from under him.

"Just show me what I'm workin' with, little flame," Hades said with a roll of his eyes as Cerberus climbed up onto his master's lap. 

"Okay, okay. _Shazam!_ " 

Light suddenly enveloped the boy, thunder rumbling in the distance and making his father roll his eyes. "Overdramatic..." he muttered under his breath as the light faded, replacing Billy with the grown form of Captain Marvel. The God's eyes widened slightly, head rearing back in shock. Cerberus started to growl, hopping off the couch as Marvel kneeled down.

"Don't worry, Cerbie, it's okay- it's still me, buddy," the man said with a smile, holding out a hand for the hound. The trio of heads sniffed it, one of the sneezing at it before they hesitantly allowed Marvel to pet them. "There we go, good boy."

"Alright, so you reek of my brother, but why can I sense his oaf of a son and Hermes in there too?" Hades asked with a raised brow as he stood. "It is so weird to be at eye-level with you, kid," he said as he walked around the demigod.

"Yeah, heh- uh, the powers come from ancient heroes and Gods. Hermes, Achilles, Heracles, Zeus, Solomon...Atlas..." he trailed off as his father tensed.

"Atlas is a no good, dirty, traitorous-" his hair flared with flames.

"Dad..." Billy whined.

Hades sighed, the flames going out. "Fine, fine. Sorry."

\- - -

Billy trailed his fingers along the long stalks of corn growing out in the garden as he walked, Cerberus trailing behind him as he stepped over squash and pumpkins. "I really hope he doesn't do anything drastic, Cerbie..." Billy said to the dog, maneuvering around a tangle of vines to sit on the bench he hated so much. 

He plopped down onto it, leaning back in the twisted metal. The dog whined, and Billy chuckled. "You know how he is- he gets all flamed up and ends up doing something he regrets later," he said, fluffing the dog's ears.

"Well, you know your father..." the sudden voice made the boy jolt, his head whipping towards the sound. Persephone was smiling softly at him, crouching down so that she was at eye-level with the boy. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't do anything _too_ stupid," she said, ruffling his hair and make his chest bloom with warmth.

"Thanks, Persephone..."

The goddess nodded, standing up and turning her attention towards her plants. 

_"I want you to meet my queen, Little flame," his father said as he held the 7-year-old's hand and led him through the dark palace. Billy followed him closely, looking around at the mixture of obsidian and marble that made up the walls. "Her name is Persephone."_

_"Per-persy-phony," Billy tried to parrot back, getting a chuckle from the God._

_"Close enough. Persephone is..." he trailed off, glancing down at the kid before looking ahead once more. "She'll be your step-mother. She's my wife- and I love her very much," he said, his cheeks tingeing the slightest bit blue. "But you can't tell **anyone** I said that, Little flame."_

_"Okay, papa..."_

_"Seph, you in here?" Hades called out, poking his head into a room and lighting up at the sight of a brunette woman. "Dear, you remember how I said I had to go to Earth to retrieve something?" he said, opening the door to reveal Billy._

_The woman's eyes widened, a smile appearing in her face. "He's adorable!!" she said, standing up from where she'd been sitting and running over to them. The Goddess squat down to meet the boy's eyes, though the raven was pulling back slightly and trying to hide behind Hades. "Hi, sweetheart... I'm Persephone," she said, holding out a manicured hand for the boy to grab. "What's your name?"_

_"B-Billy..." Billy said nervously, chewing on his lip as he hesitantly took her hand._

_"It's wonderful to meet you Billy. How old are you?"_

_"7...and a half."_

_"You're such a big guy- are you gonna live here with me and your daddy?" she asked softly, and the boy glanced up at his father. He hadn't asked that._

_"What's that look for? Of course, you are. You think I'm gonna let some mortal raise my son when I could do a much better job?" he asked with a roll of his eyes before ruffling the boy's hair._

_"Dear, he can't eat ambrosia every day, you know that, right?"_

_"And why not? Ambrosia's delicious."_

_"He's half-human. It'll be too much for him."_

_"Well what's he supposed to eat then?"_

_Persephone sighed, shaking her head with a smile. "He's clueless," she said to the boy, getting a giggle from him. "I'll just have to make trips to earth to get you fruits and vegetables," she continued, standing up to look at her husband._

_"Why don' you just grow them? My mama had a garden, you could have one too...or do you not know how to grow plants?" Billy asked, getting a snort from his father._

_"Little Flame, she's the Goddess of vegetation. She's got a greener thumb than anyone, ever," Hades said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Though. surviving off just plants would be a waste of a short existence... I wonder if little Artemis would be willing to strike up a deal in exchange for some of her bounties..." he trailed off, turning on his heel._

_"I got some phone calls to make."_

\- - -


	4. Team Spandex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Marvel has a run-in with his heroes.

\- - -

_"Look, Billy- those superheroes are on TV," Billy's mother said, pointing at the screen and getting the 6-year-old's attention. The small raven looking at the screen with big eyes, gripping the stuffed tiger in his arms tightly as an assembled group of heroes stood on a stage._

_The boy lit up at the sight of Superman, easily his favorite, as the man took a step forward and started to talk into the microphone. Billy didn't understand most of what he said, glancing towards his mother for some kind of explanation._

_"Looks like they're making a whole team of superheroes, buddy," his papa said, coming into the room as he wiped a glass down with a rag. "You gonna join them?" he asked with a smirk towards the 6-year-old._

_Billy grinned widely, giggling as he hid his face in his tiger. "I'm not a big strong man like Supahman- I can' lift a car!" he said, laughing as the man came into the living room and swooped him up into the air. "You be a supahhero, papa!" he said as the man set him on his hip._

_"Hm, you think I could get in? I mean I do look the part," he said, throwing the rag he'd been using over his shoulder. "Though I don't think I could pull off spandex," he said with a glance towards Marilyn._

_"Maybe stick to archeology, honey," the woman said, not looking up from her paperwork as she smiled at the boys._

_"Hey, I mean, we know that superpowers aren't a requirement- at least, I don't think they are. You think Batman has superpowers?" C.C. asked the boy, glancing down at him._

_"He can turn into a bat!" Billy said excitedly._

_"You think so?"_

_"Mhm!"_

_"Well that'd be pretty cool if it were true."_

_The man set Billy down on the carpet and went back into the kitchen to finish doing the dishes, and Billy scrambled back towards the TV, staring up at the heroes with the biggest smile on his face. "I wanna be one of 'em, mama," he said, eyes glued to the screen._

_"Maybe one day, baby."_

_\- - -_

_"What do you think?" C.C. asked with a smirk as he came down the stairs, a bright blue bodysuit covering his form, cheap red cape hanging from his shoulders and hair fixed to have a spit curl that fell onto his forehead. "Pretty convincing, huh?" the man asked with a chuckle._

_Billy clapped from his spot on the floor, plastic pumpkin between his legs as he looked up at the man. "You look just like Supahman!" the 6-year-old said excitedly, scrambling up and moving around the man's legs before tugging at his cape experimentally._

_"Well you make a wonderful Batman there, kiddo," the elder raven said with a grin, picking the boy up and placing him on his hip. "Marilyn? You ready, dear?" he asked, sticking his head around the corner to look down the hall._

_"Coming!" the brunette said, appearing in the hallway and shutting off the bathroom light. She was dressed in a blue and gold uniform with leather pteruges hanging around her waist and golden braces circling her wrists. "You two ready?" she asked with a grin._

_"Yeah!!! Let's go let's go let's go!!" Billy said excitedly, bouncing in C.C.'s arms. The man set him down on the floor with a shake of his head and a laugh._

_"Shall we, Wonder Woman?" he asked, offering an arm to her. Marilyn smiled up at him, shaking her head and taking his arm in hers._

_"Of course, Superman."_

_"Let's goooo!!!!" Billy said, heaving open the front door and rushing to the end of the driveway and smacking his plastic pumpkin against the ground. "All the candy's gonna be gone!!"_

_"I thought Batman was the quiet one," C.C. joked, getting a light smack on the shoulder and a laugh from his wife as they followed the 6-year-old down the sidewalk._

_\- - -_

Captain Marvel hovered above skyscrapers, searching for any sign of trouble. He may not have super-hearing or super-sight, but his magic had a tendency to drive him in the direction he was needed, and it tended to come in handy a lot. He furrowed his brow when he felt a pull in his core, tugging him away from Fawcett City, the town he'd kind of claimed as his home base of sorts over the past couple of weeks, and in the direction of Metropolis.

"Odd..." he breathed, furrowing his brow and taking off towards the golden city. His magic was never wrong, so he wouldn't doubt it now- even if he felt a slight rush of adrenaline at the thought of having business in Superman's hometown. He was there in a matter of minutes, floating above the skyscrapers and looking around for some kind of trouble- which he found in a large plume of smoke rising from the ground between buildings.

He furrowed his brow and rocketed towards it, pausing in the air to find an army of robots causing destruction on the streets below. Smoke rose from a couple of buildings, lamposts were overturned, hydrants destroyed- it wasn't looking good. He moved to set to work, only to pause at the sight of people below him fighting against the robots.

His eyes widened at the sight of the Justice League, a team of heroes he'd been a fan of since they were founded, working to keep the animatronics at bay. Now a robot horde was nothing new to him- Sivana had a habit of unleashing them on Fawcett City and never building in a failsafe for Marvel's lightning- but this didn't seem to be the case here.

It was kind of weird how Superman wasn't just taking these guys down single-handedly, especially since the robots didn't seem like that much of a threat. Solomon's words in his mind told him to move- he could analyze while he worked. 

Captain Marvel flew downward, his cape fluttering behind him as he got closer to the streets. He noticed a weird, bright green glow coming from the robots, energy radiating off the metal in waves. He dodged a sudden blast from one of them before curling his hands into fists and punching it. The metal dented easily, causing the robot to stumble backward.

"Uhh...okay?"

Okay, yeah, now he was _really_ confused. These things were easy...what was he missing? 

He glanced towards where the League had gathered- they didn't seem to notice him yet. Solomon whispered that that was a good thing, he didn't need that kind of attention, to which the demigod rolled his eyes. "Alright, maybe I should just take them out all at once and let the Justice League figure out what's going on here," he said to himself, taking off up into the air and looking around at the horde. 

They were ignoring him for the most part and focusing their attention on the group- weird since he was actively _attacking_ them. "Come on, I'm startin' to feel like you guys don't like me!" Cap said with a chuckle, landing on the street and settling into a defensive position. A robot came towards him but maneuvered around his tackle to head towards the League.

"Okay, rude- didn't anyone ever teach you any manners?" Cap asked, grabbing hold of a robot and pulling it backward, throwing it over his head and slamming it onto the street. He sent electricity through the metal, making it spark before smoke trailed up from the metallic body. It twitched, beginning to move again before the Captain crushed its head, ceasing the movements.

"You should _really_ pay attention when someone's talking to you," he said with a smirk before turning his attention towards the other bots.

"Okay, yeah, this is ridiculous," he said, spreading his feet and throwing out both hands. A position that steadied his weight and braced his body for the magic he would cast- something his farther head taught him. (One of the _only_ things his father had taught him about magic thus far...)

_"Keravnós!"_

He summoned his uncle's power, allowing it to flow through his blood and into his fingertips- he launched a bolt of lightning into the crowd of robots, causing the electricity to bound from one bot to the next and making them fall like dominos. He tossed the lightning away, launching himself towards the downed robots. They wouldn't stay that way forever- he needed to crush them before they recovered. 

"Need a hand, big guy?" a sudden voice said beside him as he crushed a robot's head. Marvel's eyes widened at the sight of the Flash beside him, breathing heavily and pounding a robot's head flat. 

"I- Uh- that'd be great, actually- they're down for the moment, but we gotta crush their heads to make them stay down, I think," Cap said, turning his attention towards a pair of robots. He flew towards them, grabbing their metallic heads and smashing them together between his hands.

"On it- I'll relay the message," Flash said, vanishing in a red blur. 

Wait- _relay the message_ \- Marvel tensed when he caught sight of Flash screeching to a halt in front of Batman and Superman, talking animatedly before pointing toward him. The pair glanced at him and Marvel swallowed thickly, turning his attention back on the robots. Focus- he needed to _focus_.

They were starting to get up-- he could fix that.

"Oh no you don't," he said, hands curling into fists once more as lightning danced around his form. "Let's expedite this process," he muttered, launching himself at a group of robots that were clambering up and punching them back down into the ground one by one. 

Shards of metal and plastic wires were strewn about, flying past his head as he aimed lightning-enfused punch after lightning-enfused punch at these (really annoying) robots. He managed to slam his fist through the head of one last bot, shaking the shell from his hand as the bot fell to the ground in a series of sparks.

"Yeah, whoever made you _really_ needs to step up their game," he commented, looking over the bot with a tilted head. 

"How did you do that?" A sudden gruff voice from behind him said, making the demigod jump and whip his head towards the sound. Batman was standing behind him, scowl on his face and eyes narrowed in suspicion as he came closer. 

The rest of the League was right on his heels, Flash tossing the dismembered head of a robot up in the air and catching it like a beach ball. 

"My stun guns sent 800,000 volts through these robots and they had no effect," Batman said, eyes narrowing further as he stared at Captain Marvel.

He could feel Solomon whispering in his ear and he rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, well, 800,000 volts is nothing compared to a billion, right? Divine lightning and all that," he said with a slightly nervous smile.

Superman took a step forward, looking the man up and down. "I'm sorry about him- thank you, for lending a hand, uh..."

Marvel blanched. "Oh! Right- uh, Captain Marvel, at your service, Superman, uh- sir," he said, trying to quell his excitement at the fact that _Superman_ was thanking him. He was totally going to gush about it to Cerberus later, but right now- 

"I uh, if you don't mind me asking, sir, why didn't you just smash them?" he asked, scratching at the back of his head. It was something that didn't make sense, and Solomon wasn't going to leave him alone until he got an answer.

"Kryptonite," Superman said, despite the glare he got from Batman. "Those robots were laced with Kryptonite. I couldn't land a hit on them," the Kryptonian said with a small grin. "So it's a good thing you were here, Captain," he said, holding out a hand for the demigod to shake.

"O-oh- uh- it's no big deal, really. My m- um, my gut told me that I was needed here, so I showed up," Cap said, dropping his hand and giving the group a smile. "It's a real honor to meet you guys, though- really. I've looked up to you for a while now," he said with a chuckle.

Batman narrowed his eyes further (Cap was fairly sure if he narrowed them anymore he wouldn't be able to see) but stayed quiet. 

"You spoke of divine lightning-" Wonder Woman said, pushing her way past Superman and Batman to look at the demigod. "Divine as in _Zeus?"_ she asked, head tilted and eyes narrowed in thought. 

Cap swallowed thickly. "I uh- I guess," he said, unsure if it was wide to share just what his powerset was with them. Sure, they were the Justice League and all, but he still had an identity to protect- and Solomon, unfortunately, was giving him nothing, so he went with his gut. "Look, it was great meeting you guys, but I gotta get back to Fawcett," he said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder.

Superman nodded once, giving the man a smile as Diana continued to stare prospectively at him. 

"Of course, thank you Capt-"

"Wait, did you say Fawcett? Like Fawcett City? As in the place that's constantly been getting attacked by like, giant monsters and robots and alligator people?" Flash asked.

"Heh- yeah, that's the one," Cap said with a chuckle. Hearing it out loud, it did sound kind of strange, but considering Fawcett was so close to the Rock of Eternity and a constant source of magic, it wasn't too much out of the realm of possibility.

Especially since he'd been chosen as the Champion... all of the weirdos had suddenly come out of the woodwork in the past couple of weeks.

Not that these guys knew that, though.

"Dude- _you're_ the Big Red Cheese?!" Flash continued with a laugh.

Marvel's shoulders dropped slightly as he rolled his eyes with a grin- that nickname he'd gotten from Whiz radio was sticking after all- _great_. "Yeah, that's me," he said with a shake of his head.

"It was great to meet you guys- drop by some time if you feel like fighting a giant monster or something," he said, kicking off the ground to float in the air.

"See ya!" he said before vanishing out of sight and rocketing upward into the stratosphere.

\- - -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like jumping around like this- what do you guys think? Anything you guys wanna see in particular?


	5. Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy meets the rest of his extended family.

\- - -

_Billy tugged at the hem of his stiff collar, the pressed cotton pressing firmly against the 8-year-old's neck and making him gag- his father would say he was being dramatic if he was paying attention. The small raven loosened the dark blue tie wrapped around his neck with a glance towards Persephone- the woman glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and grinned._

_"Too tight?" she asked, setting down a flower she's been about to place in her hair along with the others to crouch down in front of the child._

_"It feels like I'm choking," Billy said nervously. The woman smiled warmly, fixing his tie so that it was tighter than he'd put at it but not so tight that it was pressing against his throat._

_"How about that?"_

_"That's a lil' better...why do I gotta wear this anyway?" he asked with a tilt of his head as she stood and began placing flowers in her braid once more. "What was wrong with my old clothes?"_

_His father came into the room just then, fixing the cuffs of his dress shirt and lighting up at the sight of him. "Don't you look dashing, little flame? Chip off the old block," he said, moving to the mirror and pulling on a royal blue suit jacket and straightening his matching tie._

_It was a big difference from what he was used to seeing his father wear- tattered shirts, leather jackets and acid-washed jeans, everything always covered in holes or studs or chains- it was weird to see him in something so formal. The God glanced back at Billy through the mirror and smirked at him, fixing the skull-shaped cufflinks at his wrists before turning around._

_"Do you remember what I told you this morning when I woke you up?" he asked as he grabbed the boy's discarded dark blue suit jacket and crouched down in front of him. At the shake of Billy's head, the man rolled his eyes and grinned warmly, motioning for the boy to turn around so he could slip his arms into the jacket._

_"Well, we're going to Olympus. It's your official introduction to the other Gods- **my** brothers and sisters and **your** aunts and uncles," he said, straightening the suit shoulders and turning the child around before taking hold of the 8-year-old's small hands. _

_"Because it's a special event, we gotta wear nice clothes," Hades said, his lip curling up in gentle, mock disgust. "So no leather, no old sweaters," he continued, standing up. "But don't worry- next time we visit you can wear whatever you want." Hades moved towards Persephone and kissed the Goddess on the cheek._

_"Can we bring Cerbie?" Billy asked as the dog came trotting in and Billy started to ruffle the middle head's fur. "We can give him a bowtie and everything," he said with a grin up at his father._

_"Ah- uh, sorry, kid, but Cerbie's got a job to do down here, remember? We don't want any humans trying to run off to Earth while we're gone, do we?" he asked with a raised eyebrow as the boy hugged the dog's middle head and laid his own against it._

_"I guess not..."_

_"You guess not, huh?" Hades asked with a chuckle and a shake of his head. "Come on, let's go find you a snack to bring with you," he said, ruffling the raven's hair as he passed him._

_"Okay!"_

\- - -

_Billy clambered out of his father's chariot, which was pulled by a pair of black, bat-winged pegasi (that he liked to call Oreo and Midnight but his father **insisted** were named Nyctaeus and Aethon) hiding behind the God's legs and trailing after him and Persephone. Thankfully, the people there to greet them didn't pay much attention to him- they were more focused on his father and foster-mother. _

_Hades glanced back at him out of his peripheral and smirked, shaking his head at the 8-year-old as he followed them through a grand, marble archway and up a stone road that looked like it was paved in gold with how it glimmered in the sun._

_Billy slowed his steps, putting space between his father and himself as he began to take everything in. The skies were clear and cerulean blue, picturesque in the way that the pink and purple clouds framed the heavens. A small smile appeared on his face as he looked around, spotting a couple of pegasi walking on the clouds that clung to the ground around him. They were pure white, their feathers shimmering in the light and reflecting light in rainbow glints._

_"Whoa..." he breathed, glancing overhead as a golden chariot passed through the air. At the sight of more people- or were they Gods?- dressed in a mixture of modern formal wear and ancient robes, he ran back to his father and stuck close to him and Persephone._

_They came to a large, open building with massive columns and no roof, and Billy followed the Gods inside quietly. There were more people inside- a lot more people, actually, talking and laughing and drinking the weird gold liquid his father drank and had offered him a couple of times._

_Whenever he'd tried it, it had tasted great, sweet and warm like hot cocoa made with a chocolate bar- but he'd only been able to have a little bit before he got sick to his stomach. Persephone had told him that he'd need to eat more over time and let his body get used to it, but as of now, the memory of his stomach aching was all that came to mind at the sight of the golden liquid._

_"Hades, how are you?" A sudden, booming voice said with a laugh, causing BIlly to flinch at the sound of it. It sounded as if someone had found a way to personify thunder itself and shove it down this man's throat- it was both mystifying and terrifying for the 8-year-old._

_"About as good as I can be in a monkey suit like this, Zeus," his father said with a roll of his eyes, taking a pair of goblets off a tray as a woman passed him, handing one to Persephone before taking a sip of his own and shoving a hand in his suit pants pocket._

_"You look good- it's not often we get to see you cleaned up and not like you just walked out of a human dumpster party," Zeus said with a chuckle, and his father gave him a forced huff of laughter through his nose before downing his goblet in one fail swoop._

_"Now, where's that young man of yours?" Zeus asked with a raised eyebrow. "Mister 'i'll settle down when the sun goes out'," he said, looking around._

_Billy poked his head out slightly from behind his father's leg, gaining the attention of both Gods._

_Zeus, the bigger but slightly shorter man, grinned at him warmly. "Well hello, there," he said, squatting down so that he was somewhat at eye-level with the boy. "You're a small one, aren't you?"_

_Billy furrowed his brow angrily. He wasn't small! "I'm 8 and a half! I'm not small!" he snapped, icy blue eyes glaring up at the man as his grip tightened on his father's pants leg._

_Hades snorted, bringing his goblet up to his mouth to hide his snicker. Zeus stood with a laugh, his shoulders bouncing as thunder rolled and echoed the man's laughter. "You remind me of your father when he was younger- feisty and outspoken," he said with a chuckle, shaking his head and glancing at the God of the Underworld. "What's his name?"_

_"Ask him," Hades said, swapping his goblet for a full one as a nymph walked by._

_The Thunder God turned his attention back towards Billy, who jumped at the steely grey eyes focusing on him. "Well, little one? Do you have a name?" he asked as he was handed a goblet himself._

_The 8-year-old nodded nervously. "Billy..." he said, grip tightening slightly on Hades' pant leg. "Are you gonna zap me now...?" he asked nervously. He hadn't been told much about Zeus, other than when he'd heard his father ranting about the man, so he was a little intimidated- and regretting his outburst towards the God._

_The man chuckled and crouched down once more. "Hmm...I don't think so, William. Do you mind if I call you William? I'm assuming that's what Billy's short for."_

_Billy nodded._

_"Well, William, are you ready to meet the rest of the pantheon?" Zeus asked, holding out a hand for the boy. Billy glanced up at his father, and the man nodded with a small grin._

_"It's not every day a child of Hades walks among us," A woman said as she came closer, rubbing a manicured hand on Zeus's shoulder. "You're the first, in fact," she said with a grin. The small raven glanced up at his father, who was busy rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding the woman's eyes._

_"My wife- Hera," Zeus said, taking the boy's hand and gesturing towards the woman. He pulled the boy up and into his arms, making him tense and glance toward his father nervously._

_Hades watched him closely but made no move to grab Billy, so he must have deemed it okay for Zeus to hold him- if his father was okay with it, Zeus must not have been about to hurt him. Billy would be okay with it too, then, for now._

_"Alright- I think it's about time we get this ceremony underway- it's been about a century since a child of Olympus was born," Zeus said with a chuckle, shifting the boy on his side. "This way- the rest of the pantheon is waiting, brother," the man said with a smirk towards Hades._

_\- - -_

Billy climbed down from his father's chariot, standing on his toes and running his hand down the top of Aethon's neck, fingers running through the dark blue flames that served as the horse's hair. A small smile appeared on his face as he did this, his father's words echoing in his mind.

_"So regular fire and divine fire are two different things- regular fire is any natural fire or fire made by humans- it comes from Earth. That stuff- that can still hurt you, if you're not careful. But divine fire- the fire that I control, the stuff that sometimes sparks from my hair and hands?" he asked, holding up his ring-covered hands as he sat across the table from the raven-haired boy._

_"That stuff- that's something you have dominion over," he said, looking the boy in the eyes as he snapped and ignited a light blue flame between his fingertips. "You're a demigod, kid, and cause you're_ **_my_ ** _kid specifically, that fire won't hurt you- it sees you as its master."_

_"It's alive?" Billy asked, tilting his head in confusion. His father smirked, snuffing out the fire between his fingers and clasping his hands together._

_"Something like that."_

Billy sighed and patted the horse, handing the reins with a smile to a green-skinned nymph. "Have you seen Heracles, by any chance?" he asked the girl, and she grinned and pointed towards the stables- of course.

Billy thanked her and made his way towards the stables. Olympus never failed to put him in awe; the colors, the clouds— it was amazing to him. The 10-year-old clambered over the top of a hill and looked towards the stables full of Pegasi, chewing on his bottom lip in thought.

“Heracles?” He called out, looking around for the demigod and opening a barn door to peer inside. At the sight of no one inside, the boy furrowed his brow. Maybe he’d already left? Billy wouldn’t be surprised if he took one of his father’s Pegasi out for a ride— his cousin had a habit of being spontaneous and fool-hardy— or, well, that was the word his dad used at least.

The 10-year-old was suddenly hoisted into the air and set onto shoulders in one fail swoop, making him yelp as he glanced down. A broad-shouldered man with curly auburn hair was chuckling as he set him down, grabbing hold of his legs to make sure he wouldn’t fall.

“How’s my favorite little champion? Eating enough? You're so small,” The man said with a smirk, glancing up at the boy as he grabbed hold of the brunet’s head.

“I’m _fine_ , Heracles! Whoa- whoa! What’re you doin’?” Billy asked as the man shook him with another laugh. “I came to find you and hang out.”

A raised eyebrow and glance up at the 10-year-old had him sighing and resting his cheek against the top of the larger demigod’s head. “Okay, fine…” he said, shoulders drooping slightly. “I’m still nervous about this whole Champion thing…” he said, lifting his head.

“Why? You have my strength behind you and father’s lightning too— not to mention those other powers of yours,” Heracles said, lifting the boy off his shoulders as he walked over to a tying post and setting the 10-year-old down on top of it. “What could possibly be bothering you?”

“I just…” Billy dropped his gaze for a moment before looking back at his cousin. “I don’t think I’m the right fit for this…I mean— I’m 10 years old, what do I know about being a Champion of Magic?” He asked, grip on the wooden post beneath him tightening slightly as he spoke. “I’ve only been doing this for a couple of weeks… and I just- what if— what if I mess up?”

Heracles sighed, leaning against the post beside the boy. “Then you mess up, and you learn from that mistake,” he said, playful tone dying down a bit to be replaced with the words of a man that was hundreds of years old. “You have to remember, Billy. We may be demigods, but we’re still half human. Humans make mistakes— it’s a part of who we are. It’s what you do to learn from those mistakes that matter,” he said, ruffling the boy’s hair.

“You’re the World’s Mightiest _Mortal_ , remember? You can mess up. It’ll be okay, squirt,” Heracles said with a smirk, folding his arms over his chest. “I promise.”

Billy kicked his legs, a small smile appearing on his face as he nodded. “Where’s this wisdom when you suggest things that’ll definitely get us in trouble?” He asked with a grin, getting a stink eye from the much older man.

“Watch it, shorty— I can still shove you off of that thing.”

Billy laughed, throwing his head back and shaking his head at the man. “Thanks, Heracles…” he said, glancing down at the bright green grass around them.

“Of course— that’s what family’s for, Billy...now, let's go bug Hephestus and see if he'll make us some cool stuff."

\- - -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gimme those tasty tasty comments


	6. Team Spandex: The Sequel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Marvel gets an offer he just can't refuse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof, this one's a short one, but this is really the only thing I wanted to put in here- gotta establish him as a part of the League before I can do any more chapters of him, well, WITH the League.

\- - -

Captain Marvel just couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. 

It was weird, every time he looked, there was nothing around- no drone, no cameras pointed in his direction- he was sure he'd be able to tell if someone was watching him from the shadows, but even casting a spell to allow him to see into the shadows gave him nothing. It was unnerving and he really wanted the feeling to go away.

Maybe it was one of the Gods? Sometimes they liked to check-in on him, and that tended to feel like someone was watching him over his shoulder, but he was familiar with the energy and magic the Gods radiated...this- this was different. 

The demigod sighed and touched down on a roof in Fawcett City, walking across it and searching for any kind of trouble to take his mind off the feeling. Today had been quiet, which was good, but it wasn't really good to busy his mind. "Come on, cat in a tree?" he said to no one, gesturing with his hand. "Runaway ice cream cart? _Anything?"_ he asked, glancing upwards towards the clouds before taking off again into the sky.

"Fine..." he sighed, soaring over skyscrapers and keeping an eye out for anything that might go wrong. 

He found this at the sound of a sudden, piercing scream ringing out through the air and making the demigod tense. He looked for the source, eyes narrowing a fraction when he caught sight of a muscular man running down the street, shoving his way past people angrily. Marvel sighed, shoulders slumping slightly as he shook his head.

_"Again?"_ he muttered before flying down to the streets. He hated that that feeling followed him, causing him to pause mid-air to pain and glance around. He shook his head and set back to work, though, ignoring the feeling and chasing after the muscular man. 

He swooped over the man and grabbed hold of the collar of his shirt, lifting him into the air and holding him out in front of his barreled chest. He gave the man an unimpressed look as he squirmed in the demigod's grip. "Stanley, come on. We talked about this," he said, causing the man to quell his thrashing slightly and pout. 

"I thought you were going straight," Marvel asked, disappointment lacing his voice as he touched down on top of a skyscraper and set the bald man down beside him. "Hand it over," he said, holding out his hand. The man, Stanley, grumbled to himself before smacking a purse into Marvel's hand. 

Marvel gave him a look. "...really? We're at purse theft now?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest. "Stanley, you're better than this."

"It's _Ibac!_ I am Ibac, A powerful- ter-terrifying-"

"Hold that thought," Marvel said, vanishing in a red blur and handing the stolen purse back to its owner before appearing in front of the muscular man again and touching down on the roof. "Okay, continue."

Stanley huffed. "I'm a terrifying criminal that strikes fear into the hearts of man! I- I could throw a _car_ at you!" he said angrily, hands balled into fists.

"And what would Sofie think of you doing that?" Cap asked, tilting his head slightly in question. "You just got your daughter back, Stanley- don't let a dumb decision take her away from you again."

_Billy sat cross-legged on the bed, a small girl beside him sniffling with her head resting in his lap. The small girl's light blonde hair fell in her face as she rubbed her eyes of tears, and the 7-year-old moved it gently out of her face._

_He'd only been in this weird daycare for three days by this point, but this little girl had taken to him like a pig to mud- she was glued to his side._

_When she'd started crying about missing her daddy, a guy that had gone to jail for something, Billy couldn't help but comfort her. Sophie was only 4, and Billy was 7- he was a big kid, and it was big kids' jobs to protect little kids and make them feel better._

_"It's okay, Sophie..." Billy said, petting the girl's head in the way his mama did whenever he was scared or sad. "Maybe your daddy will come back if he's good. I think jail is like grown-up time out... so if he's good, maybe he'll come get you."_

_"I- wa-want papa..."_

_Billy leaned his head back against the wall. "I know..."_

It had taken years, but Cap had finally managed to pull some strings and get the man his daughter back- sure, he was a criminal, but even cap could see he cared deeply for his little girl.

Stanley sighed heavily, head dropping as he brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck. "It's just hard...my boss is an ass, and I gotta spend so much time at work that I miss moments with Sofie-" he said, shaking his head. "Stealing a purse is so much easier..." he said, looking up to meet the demigod's eyes. "Sorry, Cap."

Marvel bit down on his bottom lip with a sigh. "Stanley, don't make me regret this," he said, looking the man in the eyes. "You gotta _swear_ to me that you're gonna stop this. I don't wanna see Sophie back in the system, and you don't either. You _will_ go straight, Stan, or you _will_ lose your daughter," he said, pointing a finger at the man.

The bald man lit up, a small smile appearing on his face as he nodded vigorously. "Yeah- yeah, of course, Captain Marvel- I'm done. It won't happen again," he said with a crooked grin.

"Better not. Stanley, I won't hesitate to drop you off at the police station next time," Marvel said, grabbing hold of the man's forearm and bringing him down to the street below. He dropped him onto the sidewalk and nodded once to the man. "Behave yourself," he said as a warning before taking off.

The feeling was still there, making his skin crawl and spine itch. He fore mid-air, screeching to a halt and scanning the skies around him. He was much too high for a camera or drone- so what could possibly be watching him?

"Is this some kind of spirit that I can't see for some reason?" he asked aloud, looking around at the clouds that surrounded him. "Look, if you need help crossing over, I'm not the guy to ask. I can only help you get to the river Styx, I don't have the fare to give you to cross it," he said, continuing to look around with a furrowed brow. 

"What _is_ this...?" he muttered to himself, lightning beginning to dance around his muscular form as his nerves began to rile. "Alright- okay, fine- maybe it's nothing. You're- you're stressed. That's all it is- you'd be able to _see_ if it was a spirt, stupid- this is just- it's just nerves," he said, swallowing thickly and letting out a shaky breath.

He shot upwards, through the clouds and up into the stratosphere. He paused above them, looking around at the mass of clouds around him. It was very reminiscent of Olympus, despite the lack of Greek architecture, and helped to ease his nerves slightly.

That is until he saw movement in the clouds.

He tensed at the sight of clouds parting, hands curling into fists and lightning flaring out slightly. "The hell...?" he asked, eyes narrowed at the sudden shift in the air. It looked like the clouds around him were moving _around_ something, confusing the demigod greatly. He unfurled a hand and reached out slowly, pausing when his hand touched something solid.

Magic shot up his spine as he felt Zeus's magic inside of whatever this was. He slammed another hand down onto the invisible object and gripped it tight, suddenly sending electricity through the object. The invisibility around it flickered before vanishing, revealing a large, silver jet. 

A jet with the Justice League inside.

Captain Marvel's eyes widened at the sight of the heroes, retracting his hands suddenly and staring at them openly. "What the..." he blinked, glancing around in the air before looking back at the jet.

"Uhh...what's going here?" he asked slowly.

A speaker flickered to life, and Batman's voice echoed through the air.

"Surveillance."

Marvel's eyes widened, his confusion deepening. "WHAT!?" 

There was a shuffle over the speaker, and Superman took over. "Ignore him. We came to- to check something, Captain," the Kryptonian said, getting. an equally as confused look from the demigod.

"Check- check what? If you wanted to check something, you guys could have just shown up- it's not like you're banned from Fawcett City," Cap said, scratching at the back of his head. "Is there something you guys need help with? I'd be more than happy to help if I can," he said, setting his hands on his hips.

"Well, uh, we were actually here to check on you," Superman replied.

"So...why did you need to be invisible to do that...?"

Another shuffle and Flash's voice came over the speakers. "We wanted to see if you were Justice League material, dude!"

"W-what?" Cap asked slowly, eyes wide as he stared at the collected heroes. A small smile appeared on Superman's face.

"You're a warrior, Captain, and anyone graced with my father's power deserves to be one of us," Wonder Woman said with a grin towards the man. 

"This- this is- wow," Marvel said, running a hand through his hair. "I- you _actually_ want _me_ on the Justice League? This isn't- this isn't some hidden camera show or something?" he asked as the top of the jet opened to show the heroes better. "This is insane."

Green Lantern chuckled, shaking his head at the man. "You can always take a day to think about it, if you're not sure-"

"Not sure- no! No, no I just- I never thought I'd get to work with you guys," Cap said with an excited laugh. "Holy Moley... thank you- I- of course, i'd love to join you," he said, absolutely beaming. 

Superman smirked at Batman, who seemed to roll his eyes under the cowl. "Wonderful- come to the Watchtower, we'll initiate you there and issue you a communicator," the Man of Steel said, stepping into the air and coming closer to the demigod. "Welcome to the Justice League, Captain," he said, holding out a hand for the raven to shake.

Marvel's smile grew impossibly wider. "Thank _you_ , Superman."

He couldn't _wait_ to tell his dad the news.

\- - -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C O M M E N T , P U N Y M O R T A L S.


	7. Suspicions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cap and Victor work together on a mission and the League starts to get suspicious of their resident talking lightning rod.

\- - -

Billy couldn't have been more excited to work with the Justice League- he'd only been with them for two weeks and he'd already met so many amazing heroes and helped so many more people than he had before.

Sure, his dad was iffy about the group- something about them reminding him a little too much of his brothers and sisters and how they liked to meddle with the human world- but these guys were BIlly's heroes! And they were human- for the most part- so it couldn't be as bad as his father thought.

Plus- he'd already made a friend! The guy's name was Victor- he was half-robot and way cool. He and Vic seemed to be on the same wavelength; they had the same sense of humor, liked some of the same things- and best of all, Vic never thought he was annoying.

That was something that Billy was especially happy about since he realized some of the other heroes had sort of a short temperament when it came to his enthusiasm. Sure, he got along fine with the others- Barry and he palled around and he even had a budding friendship with Diana going on, but none of them treated him like Vic did. 

Vic treated him like a brother.

When he'd first gotten there, Vic was the only one to really treat him like a person, rather than this imposing, six-foot demigod of lightning. It was nice.

_Captain Marvel stared in awe of the Watchtower- he's never been to space before, and this place was amazing- it was so high-tech and futuristic, it was a wonder any of this was real at all. The demigod followed behind Superman and Batman as they gave him the grand tour, showing off the mess hall, the infirmary, the monitor room and the main meeting room._

_"The rest is for you to explore in your own time, Captain. We hope you'll be able to call this place a home away from home," Superman said with a smile._

_Cap nodded, his own smile beaming. "Thank you guys so much-"_

_"There is one other thing, Captain," Batman said, looking the man in the eyes. Superman glanced at his slightly smaller pattern with a raised brow before looking back at the demigod. "On the Justice League, it's important that we're able to trust one another."_

_"Oh, here we go again..." Superman sighed._

_Batman continued on as if Superman hadn't even opened his mouth. "Because of that, we ask that our members reveal their civilian identities." Marvel tensed at those words, his eyes widening slightly._

_" **You** ask that, Batman. The rest of us are just fine with not knowing.", Superman said with a shake of his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "Besides- you still haven't told anyone on the League besides myself and Diana who you really are, and that's pretty hypocritical."_

_The dark Knight glared at Superman, but the Man of Steel simply waved him off. "Look, Captain, ignore him. There's nothing that says you have to reveal your identity to us. Some people choose to and others choose not to. Some people, like Cybor- uh, Victor, are fine with revealing their identities. Other people, like Batman here, aren't. And that's fine. You do not have to tell us who you really are, Cap."_

_A small smile graced Marvel's face. "Thank you, Superman."_

Cap was pretty sure that ticked Batman off- he'd been giving him the side-eye any chance he could for the past two weeks.

Currently, he and Victor were on a mission- his third one since joining, and first with just one other member of the League. Marvel was excited that the League trusted him enough with something like this. 

"So why can't the police handle this shipment that's coming in?" Captain Marvel asked as he flew alongside Victor, making idle conversation as they made their way towards Baltimore- and the museum they were being sent to guard.

"The museum's getting a shipment of ancient Greek artifacts- according to Batman, some of them could be dangerous. There's no telling who would try and swipe them- cause the bad guys always try to swipe stuff like this," Vic replied with a roll of his eyes and a grin. "I mean _seriously_ , they're so predictable."

"Ooh, how much you wanna bet it's Kite-Man? I like him- he cracks me up," Cap replied with a laugh. "I mean, who decides that strapping a massive kite to your back is the best plan of action to fly?" 

Victor shook his head. "I'm betting on either a group like the Rogues or someone like Cat Woman."

"Ooh, Cat Woman's pretty," Cap said off-handedly, getting a smirk from the man beside him.

" _Pretty_ , huh?" 

"What did I say?"

The cyborg snorted, shaking his head as he sped up. "Wait, Victor! What! What did I say?!" Cap asked, catching up to him with ease.

The pair landed in front of the museum, spooking a pair of guards who instinctively pointed the guns at the heroes. "Whoa, calm down there, guys- we're here to help out," Cap said with a laugh. Cyborg nodded, glancing around. 

"Where's the shipment gonna be delivered?" 

"Uh- in the back," one guard said, putting his gun away and jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "Should arrive within the next 20 minutes." Captain Marvel and Victor nodded once and took to the skies again, only to land in the back of the museum in a docking station. Marvel plopped down onto the loading dock as Cyborg tapped at his gauntlet. 

"This'll be so easy- we'll be in and out, and then we can go get hotdogs or something. You like hotdogs? Wait, do you still eat? I mean, do you still have a stomach or-" he paused when Victor raised an unimpressed eyebrow. 

"...Sorry."

Victor chuckled, shaking his head at the man. "I don't know if I'll ever understand you, Captain- one moment you can be this ancient know-it-all figure and then the next you're babbling like- well, like a _kid_ would- no offense."

Cap rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling weakly. "Yeah...sorry about that. I can get over-excited sometimes," he said nervously. "The uh- the know-it-all stuff comes from Solomon- he just, tells me what I need to know, helps me with clairvoyance and stuff."

"I don't think I've ever heard you talk about your powers that in-depth before, Cap," Vic said with a smile. 

Marvel chuckled. "Yeah, well- gimme some time. I'm still getting used to this whole team thing."

\- - -

When the delivery truck finally showed, Victor and Captain Marvel stood guard- overall, it was quiet and peaceful- a far cry from what the demigod expected it to be. The man floated in the air, sitting criss-cross and watching as movers lugged wooden crates from the large truck into the museum. He watched them idly as Victor kept an eye out for any trouble- it was kinda boring, if he was honest-

Wait.

What was that?

Cap paused, sitting up and staring at a crate two men were carrying. "Hold on, hold on- what's in that?" Cap asked, dropping to the ground and pointing at the box. The men looked at one another before glancing back at the demigod and shrugging.

Marvel furrowed his brow- all of the items thus far had given off low, minimal mystical energies- that was a given when dealing with ancient Greek artifacts- but this- this radiated mystical energy he recognized. 

It was his _father's._

Cap glanced down at the white sitcker on the box- it didn't have a name on it, only numbers and letters used to categories the artifact. The demigod furrowed his brow and pulled off the top of the crate with a heave- only to have Victor grab his shoulder.

"Captain, what the hell are you doing?"

"I- uh- there's-" What was he supposed to say? His father had said it was best if people didn't know he was a demigod- it would paint a target on his back and he really didn't need one of those. Not to mention that he, as Billy Batson, was Hades' only kid, so telling Victor that he was Hades kid as Captain Marvel would not only connect Cap and Billy, but give away that he was Hades's child and-

"Captain?"

Marvel shook his head of the thoughts and glanced at Victor blankly. "Uhh...s-sorry. I uh- I...sensed...uh, powerful energy coming from this box. The other stuff wasn't as powerful as this, so I wanted to check and make sure it, uh, wasn't...anything dangerous."

Victor blinked. "Uhh..." he glanced at the workers who were staring at them in confusion. "Right. But that's not what we were sent here to do, man."

"I- I know, but I just thought, uh, you know, powers of the gods thing...better to be safe than sorry?" Cap tried, giving Victor a nervous smile. The man sighed, taking his hand off the demigod's shoulder. 

"Fine. Check whatever is inside that box out. But after your done, you're putting it back, and we're not messing with anything else, got it?"

Marvel grinned widely. "Got it."

The demigod rummaged through the crate, tossing aside straw before finally laying eyes on what could only be his father's. A silver helmet, intricate runes carved into the metal with twin horns spiraling outward at the temples. Marvel let out a breath as he brought the helmet up, sunlight glinting off of it. "The helm of darkness..." he breathed, eyes wide as he held it. 

"The...what?" Victor asked slowly, raising a brow.

"Uh-" Cap shook off his awe. "The helm of darkness. It belongs to m- uh, to Hades, Greek God of the Underworld..." Cap said, his grip tightening ever so slightly on the object. "It was forged by the elder cyclopses and given to Hades to aide him and his brothers in their war against the Titans..." This thing was way too dangerous to remain in the collection- he had to take it back to the Underworld.

"It...it grants the wearer invisibility- as well as giving them the power to raise the dead." He glanced up at Victor with a serious look. "This can't stay here, Vic. It's too dangerous."

"Cap, dude, you can't just take it. It's a priceless artifact-"

"One that belongs to a _God_."

"Regardless of who it belongs to, dude- this thing is a part of this collection, and we're here to _stop_ someone from taking anything- not take it ourselves!" Vic said with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest. "Look, I know that your powers derive from the Gods or whatever- but that doesn't mean you work for them."

That didn't mean he wouldn't bring his father's helmet back to its owner.

"I'm sorry, Vic. But this- this has gotta go back where it belongs," he said before vanishing in a red and gold blur.

\- - -

"-and then he just vanished," Vic said, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he stood at the end of the meeting table. The core 6- they being Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, and Green Lantern- sat around the table, listening to the man give his report of the mission frustrated.

"So Captain Marvel just ran off with this priceless helmet?" Batman asked, his eyes narrowed at the man.

Victor nodded slowly. "Yeah- I mean, like I said, he claimed it was something that belonged to a God and was too powerful to stay in the collection, but it felt like there was something more there."

"I commend him- I would have done the same, had I been there," Diana said, glancing around the table.

"That isn't very reassuring, Wonder Woman," Batman said with a sigh. "Can _you_ tell us anything else about this Helmet of Darkness?"

"Well, what the Captain told you is true- if that truly was the Helm of Hades, it would allow whoever wears it to raise an army off the dead- in addition to turning them invisible," he said, leaning back in her chair. "It never should have been in a museum- so again, I commend the Captain, though I do wonder how he plans to return the object to the Lord of the Underworld."

"I mean, is Hades not one of the Gods he gets his powers from?" Green Lantern asked.

"I don't think so..." Flash replied, scratching at his chin in thought. "I think Zeus is one- he mentioned something about the guy a week ago, not to mention the lightning that Cap likes to use."

"Regardless of his patrons, I believe that Captain Marvel had only good intentions in doing this. We can explain to the museum that the artifact was too dangerous, and be done with it," Diana said, sitting up and looking around. 

"I don't know, Cyborg's right. Something about this feels off. Captain Marvel hasn't done something like this before- he's not the kind of guy, at least from what I've seen, to just take something from a case and bolt," Superman said. "It feels like there's something we're missing."

"Then we'll monitor him. Simple," Batman said. 

"Why don't we just ask the guy?" Flash asked, looking around in slight confusion.

"Have you _met_ Captain Marvel?" Hal replied, raising a brow at the speedster.

\- - -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *insert plea for comments here* 
> 
> idk. I'm tired and I just wanna read some Billy fics but there's nothing I'm finding that's long AND interesting ;-;


	8. Stolen

\- - -

Captain Marvel held the silver helmet tightly in his hand as he stepped through the portal from Fawcett City to the Underworld. A familiar wave of heat washed over him and settled into his bones, something he'd long since taken comfort in.

"Hey, dad?" he called out, looking around as he walked around one of the cavern's main chambers. "Daaaaad...?" the demigod called out, furrowing his brow when he didn't get a response. It seemed like his father was never around anymore- that, or he just had the worst timing. He sighed, lifting the helmet up to look at it. He shook his head at the object and walked into the kitchen. 

The man set the helmet down on the marble counter and went to the fridge- something that still amazing Billy to this day- like seriously, this thing was surrounded by hellfire and still managed to work just fine. It was probably enchanted. He opened the gold-encrusted door and stared at its contents absently- he was just trying to kill time until his father showed up, after all.

He closed the metal door with a sigh, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest with a huff. The sudden appearance of a leather-covered man with black hair that faded to light blue walking anxiously through the kitchen and passing him without even looking at him had the demigod furrowing his brow.

"Dad, wait-" the man called after the God, grabbing the helmet and following his father into the living room. "Dad, what's wrong?" he asked, watching the Lord of the Underworld pace in front of the sofa. The blue-haired man ignored him, choosing instead to pace back and forth and leave smoking footprints on the floor. 

"Dad," he said a bit more forcefully, causing the God to startle slightly and glance towards him with a furrowed brow. 

"What- oh...right. What is it, kid?"

"What's wrong?" Marvel asked, the silver helmet in his hand momentarily forgotten.

"It's- it's nothing. Nothing you need to worry about."

Marvel's eyebrows knit together at that but stayed quiet. He glanced down at the helmet before holding it out to his father- who had started pacing again. "I uh- I found this," he said when Hades paused to stare at the helmet.

"Wait, is that-"

"I...I think so? It feels like you do, if that makes sense."

"My helm of darkness..." Hades breathed, a small smile appearing on his face as he took the helmet from the Captain. "I haven't seen this thing in centuries- not since the fall of Rome, at least." he turned the object over in his hands, grinning at the metal and shaking his head. "Where'd you find this, little flame?"

"It was mixed in with a museum collection- I was on a League mission a couple of days ago when I sensed it."

His father seemed to consider something before tossing the helmet onto the couch. "Speaking of that League of yours..." he trailed off, scratching at the stubble on his face as he thought.

"Dad, they're not that bad. They're good people," Marvel said with a roll of his eyes.

"No, no- it's not that..." Hades replied, waving the boy in a man's body off. He sighed, running a hand through his cerulean hair. "I may need their help. You said they have a detective." Marvel's eyes widened in shock- what could he _possibly_ need the Justice League's help with? They were superheroes, sure, but his dad was a _God!_

"Uhh...yeah, we do. Batman's one. Why do you need him? Does it have to do with what's wrong with you?"

"Hades bit down on his bottom lip in thought, glancing at his son before sighing and running a hand down his face. "It's...it's my Bident," he muttered, his lip curling into a silent snarl. "It was _stolen_ , and I have no idea by who."

Captain Marvel's eyes widened further. His dad's bident was a powerful weapon- more powerful than the helmet, this thing was- it was _dangerous_. Hades' bident acted as the one and only key to Tartarus. While Cerberus guarded the Underworld itself, making sure souls rarely escaped, Tartarus was reserved for the monsters of old and unimaginable horrors trapped in the darkest pits of the Underworld. 

Opening the gates of Tartarus would unleash something onto Earth that it simply couldn't take. Not again. 

"The Titans..." Marvel breathed, fear climbing up his spine and clutching him tightly at the thought of the Titans being released onto Earth. "This- how- how did it get stolen? I thought it was locked up," Marvel said, staring at his dad in fear. 

"It was. I was doing my weekly check on it and found that it was missing." Hades shook his head, wringing a hand around his neck. "I have no idea _how_. Deimos and Enyo said nothing came in or went out. I trust them, they're my two best warriors- not that i'd ever tell them that- so if they say no one was there to take it, I believe them."

"Well, they guard the chamber doors, right? The Bident's inside the chamber and they're outside?" Marvel asked, watching as he dad began to pace again. At his nod, the demigod chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Well, maybe- maybe someone found a way to boomtube inside."

"Boom...tube...?" Hades asked slowly, pausing in his pacing and raising a brow at his son.

"Uhh- apparition. Maybe they apparated inside."

"Impossible. I would have sensed the magic the moment someone tried," Hades said with a roll of his eyes.

"Well uh, that's the thing...boom tubes are...technology. They let you apparate somewhere _without_ magic," Marvel said slowly, only to see the color drain from the God's face. "But- but the League knows about this kind of thing, dad. You were right- we can ask for their help."

The Lord of the Underworld straightened, running a hand through his hair, attempting to keep his cool- only to fail miserably. His hair caught alight, flaring outward with fire as the same blue flames erupted from his shoulders and tightly clenched fists. "Kronos Damn it all- if Zeus hears about this I'll never live it down!" he growled, icy blue eyes glaring at the ground. 

The man rubbed angrily at his temples, shutting his eyes tightly as the flames lapping at him began to slowly go down. "Fine, it's fine, I'm cool- I'm cool..." he muttered.

_**"FUCK,"**_ Hades growled.

"Dad..." Marvel said, leaning against the wall as he watched him. "I'll talk to the League, see if someone can help us. Maybe Cyborg can track the residue energies left over from the boom tubes. We can see if they lead somewhere and if they do, maybe it'll lead us straight to whoever took your Bident."

"Unfortunately, that'll have to wait," Hades said with a huff and a shake of his head.

"What? Why?"

"Because my idiot of a brother decided that he would host a gala tonight of all nights on Olympus. It's the one mandatory one he gets per decade. Every God and demigod has to attend."

"Can't- can't you just say I had some kind of emergency?" Marvel asked.

Hades raised an unimpressed brow. "You say that like you don't know for a fact that he can easily see you on Earth. Besides, if I have to suffer through this, so do you."

"But the Bident-"

"It can wait. Trust me, whoever had it will have one Hades of a time trying to figure out how to work it- if they even know what it does in the first place."

Cap sighed, rubbing at his jaw nervously. "Okay... well I'll change and go find a suit-" Hades grabbed hold of his shoulder, stopping the man in his tracks. "...what?" the raven asked in confusion. "You said I was going with you."

"Yeah, but like that. Zeus is insisting his 'champion' make an appearance," the God replied, rolling his eyes with a sneer. "Monumental jackass is what he is. But it's easier to just give him what he wants. Otherwise he'll never leave us alone."

"Wait is- is that allowed?" Cap asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, yeah, I'm the Champion and all but aren't galas like fancy and stuff? I mean I can't really change out of this and, no offense dad, but your stuff wouldn't really fit this form," he said, gesturing to himself before crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Are you trying to say you're buffer than me?" Hades asked, narrowing his gaze, only to have his son roll his eyes. "I'll have you know I got guns for _days_ , little flame."

Captain Marvel chuckled and the God scowled at him. "Besides- have you ever _tried_ changing out of that suit? I mean seriously, you could probably do it with magic easily. I know I do- I mean seriously, kid, at least try it out first."

"But I- what- I don't know the words to the spell to do that," Cap said, pushing off the wall and staring at his father. "You haven't taught me any magic and the wizard is always just, so cryptic when I ask him for help-" he sighed, hands curling into fists in frustration. 

Hades leveled a look at him. "You really need words to perform your spells? You're the _Champion of Magic_ , kid, come _on_. Just- just dig down deep and _try_." Hades grabbed the man's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "More importantly you're a demigod- _mine_ , to be exact, and I'll be damned if my kid can't do _anything_ he sets his mind to."

"But I-" Hade's grip tightened and he sighed. "Fine...fine. I'll _try_."

\- - -

20 minutes later and Captain Marvel was standing in front of a mirror wearing a strake white tunic, white and gold pteruges hanging from his waist. Golden armor adorned his body, carved with intricate runes and lightning symbols. A bright red scrap of cloth was tied around his waist, tattered and hanging off to the side.

"Not bad, kid. You sure look the part of an ancient hero, that's for sure," Hades said, coming up behind him with a smirk. "That what you're going with?" he asked as Marvel turned and glanced at his side.

"Nah- this is cool and all, but I'd rather wear something slightly more comfortable- and uh, something with pants..." Marvel replied. Lightning began to crackle around the demigod's body before light flared outwards, enveloping his large form.

When it died down, he stood before the mirror in a bright red suit, black tie hanging from his neck with a golden lightning bolt-shaped tie pin attaching it to his stark white dress shirt. The demigod fixed the matching lightning bolt-shaped cufflinks at his wrists and smirked at his image in the mirror. 

"Who knew you could clean up so good, kid?" Hades asked with a chuckle, ruffling the man's hair and making him laugh. "You probably get it from your father's side of the family," the man said with a smirk, giving his reflection finger guns. "Alright- i'm gonna go clean up myself," he said, patting the champion's shoulder. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can start looking for my Bident."

"And hey, good job. Told you you could do it."

A smile graced the hero's face as he shook his head at the man. "Go get _dressed_ , pops."

\- - -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> COMMENT. YOU HEATHENS. DON'T MAKE ME GET THE SQUID.


	9. The Gala

\- - -

**A smile graced the hero's face as he shook his head at the man. "Go get dressed, pops."**

\- - -

Anxiety weighed heavily on the demigod's mind as he sat across from Hades and Persephone. Something in the back of his head was yelling at him, telling him he needed to talk to the League sooner rather than later. But..Hades didn't seem too worried, and at the end of the day, he trusted his dad's judgment.

Even if he thought his time would be better spent looking for the artifact rather than spending time around family members he barely knew. 

Cap really just hoped Heracles would be there- he needed someone he could just cut loose out with. The Gods tended to leave both of them alone when they were together- something about the aura of mischief that surrounded them or something. If nothing else, the demigod was looking forward to seeing his cousin- he didn't have to pretend to be anyone else around him or his dad. 

And sure, the Olympians may have known that Billy was the Champion and that he was only 10-years-old, but they sure didn't treat him like that whenever he was up there as the Captain. The chariot came to a stop, signaling their arrival and pulling the raven out of his thoughts. 

Hades was the first to climb out of the drape-covered chariot, holding his hand out for his Goddess. Persephone gripped Marvel's knee reassuringly before climbing out herself. The demigod was left alone in the chariot, drawing in a deep breath before letting it out. He knew what was waiting for him out there- the residents of Olympus loved a spectacle, and apparently him being both a demigod and the Champion of Magic was a big one.

This being his second time coming to Olympus as Captain Marvel, he was rightly nervous- the first time he'd come, Zeus had made it a bigger deal than it had to be and he and Hades ended up in a fight- one which Cap and Heracles had to pull their respective fathers away from. He really hoped nothing like that happened again, but it had been a long time since Zeus had had a Champion- and the God was quite the boaster.

Marvel sighed, shaking the nerves away- _where was Achilles' courage when he needed it?_ -and climbed out of the covered chariot. 

He was immediately the center of attention- something that made his father snicker and watch him with a smirk. Cap narrowed his eyes at the man and weaved his way through the nymphs and dryads, minor demigods, and fallen heroes as kindly as he could. They were very similar to the pushy reporters on Earth- Cap just had to get past them and they'd leave him alone.

Hopefully.

The man fell into step after the Lord of the Underworld, following a few feet behind the pair as they walked under grand arches- only Gods and demigod were allowed past this point if they weren't someone's plus one. Multiple Gods waved at him and said hello to him, but none made a move to pull him away- something he couldn't be more thankful for. They came to the main pantheon at the top of the cloudy hill and his father patted his shoulder.

"Relax, son. Go find that idiot Heracles and hang out with him. Nothing is expected of you tonight," he said, grabbing a goblet of ambrosia from a waitress nymph as she walked by. Marvel straightened his cufflinks and nodded nervously. He was right- Herc always knew how to put him at ease. 

"Yeah, yeah okay, I'll go find him," Marvel said, looking around for his muscular cousin as he straightened his suit again. "Thanks, dad," he said, unaware of the eyes currently watching him. Well, he was _aware_ \- but it seemed like nearly every pair of eyes were on him, how was he supposed to pick out the mortal from the God?

\- - -

Diana groaned at the sight of the golden-trimmed letter in her hand, tossing it onto the table and slumping slightly in her seat. Sometimes, she hated her father. Had ten years _already_ passed? She wasn't ready to deal with the Gods of Olympus so soon, but a summons from Zeus himself wasn't really something she could just ignore.

"What's this?" Flash asked, snatching the letter off the table and looking over it. "Whoa- a gala? That's so cool, Diana. You gonna go?" he asked cheerfully. 

"It's really not...and I have to. My father holds this gala once every decade...every demigod and deity is required to attend," she replied, rolling her eyes and glaring at the paper in the speedster's hand.

"Wait, this says it's from a guy named Zeus- like, the Greek God, Zeus? _He's_ your dad?" Flash asked, handing the letter back to the Amazon. At her nod, his eyes widened. "You need a plus one? I'd be more than happy to join you!"

"What're you joining Diana in?" Clark asked as he came into the room, raising a brow at Flash with a grin. Diana handed him the letter as he passed, and e glanced over it before looking back at her. "A gala, huh? Those can be pretty dull if you don't have the right company," he said, the grin on his face widening slightly. "Maybe I should come too- if that'd be alright with you."

The woman smiled, shaking her head at the pair. "Why not- everyone should come. There's no rule against bringing guests along. Maybe with you all there, this will be somewhat bearable."

"What'll be bearable?" Bruce asked as he came into the meeting room, glancing up from his tablet with an unimpressed look. "And _why_ do I feel like I'm about to be roped into it?"

"We're going to a gala on Mount Olympus- Diana got a mandatory summons for it," Clark said, sitting down in his chair. "I'm sure you've been to plenty of those types of events, Batman," he said with a mischievous smile, causing the speedster in the room to furrow his brow in confusion.

Batman rolled his eyes and continued to his seat, sitting down and turning his attention back towards his tablet. "They're a necessity. I don't enjoy them."

"Perhaps you'll enjoy one thrown by the Gods- they're known to be, as you say, 'party animals'," Diana said with a smile, leaning back in her chair as Hal and Arthur came into the room.

Flash was at Hal's side in an instant. throwing an arm around the Green Lantern. "Hal, buddy, you'll never guess where we get to go," he said, getting a confused look from the brunet. "We just got invited to a gala on Mount Olympus."

Hal's expression dropped. "Is this mandatory?" he asked, looking toward Batman. At the Dark Knight's nod, the man groaned. "Fine..."

\- - -

The League had long-since clambered out of the covered chariot Diana had (somehow) procured for them, the Amazon leading the way and talking the heroes through Olympus. Some, like Flash and Arthur, were awe-struck by the things around them. Bruce and Clark kept their cool, and Hal- well, Hal was doing his best in the dark grey suit he was currently wearing, trudging behind the group and grumbling to himself quietly.

The group came to the main pantheon at the top of the hill and milled about- there weren't too many Gods there just yet, mainly working nymphs and demigods. A man with a white beard and stark white robes came over to the group, pulling Diana into a bear hug before putting the woman down. "My daughter, so good to see you. You never visit- I miss you," the man said with a warm smile.

"I have responsibilities on Earth, father."

The king of the God's scoffed. "That doesn't stop the others from visiting," he said with a smirk as more guests began to arrive. "I'll have to introduce you to my Champion, while you're here- he's wonderful, daughter- a real golden heart."

Diana nodded slowly. "Sure, father."

With that, the God left the group be. Flash spotted a satyr carrying a platter full of goblets and grabbed one, swirling the golden liquid inside. "Oooh..." he went to take a sip, only for Diana to take the goblet from him with a wide-eyed look.

"No, you fool! That- you _can't_ drink that. That's ambrosia. It's the nectar of the _Gods_ , mortals can not consume it."

"What- why?"

"Do you want your stomach to catch fire?"

"...not particularly..."

"Then do _not_ drink the golden liquid," Diana said before downing the goblet in a single go and placing it on a passing nymph's platter. "That is your only warning, Flash." Hal snickered at the man, something that earned him a punch to the arm. 

More Gods, Goddesses, and ancient heroes were joining the party, filling the empty space of the pantheon. Diana glanced around, looking for someone she knew while the others looked around in curiosity.

"Hold on...who is that...?" Batman said suddenly, eyes narrowing at the sight of a man in a royal blue suit with hair to match, an amber-haired woman in a champagne-colored dress on his arm. 

Diana glanced towards where the Dark Knight had gestured. "That's Hades. God of the Underworld..." she said, watching the couple. "I wonder if he got his helm back," she muttered. Batman shook his head at her words.

"No- no him. The man behind him. Is that...?"

The group glanced behind the pair of Gods, finding a tall, broad-shouldered, raven-haired man in a sharp, crimson suit. Various demigods and nymphs were surrounding him, trying to talk to him, but he weaved through them nervously- and familiarly. The man glanced around the place before Hades suddenly grabbed his shoulder and spoke to him. The man nodded slowly, rubbing the back of his neck- another familiar gesture.

The raven finally began to move again, grabbing a pair of goblets off a platter and moving through the crowd, seemingly in search of someone.

"That's...that's Captain Marvel..." Clark said slowly.

"Damn...he uh, he cleans up good," Flash blurted out.

"You could say that again," Clark said with a grin, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But why- _how_ is he here?" Diana asked, furrowing his brow at the man as he continued to weave through the mass of party-goers. "I understand that his powers are mystical in nature, but...this doesn't make sense, this gala is for those related to the Gods."

"Why don't we ask him?" Flash asked, looking around the group.

"Again, have you _met_ Captain Marvel?" Hal asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I say we go confront him and watch him flounder- it's always kinda funny when he sputters," he continued with a smirk. 

"Seriously Hal, what crawled up your ass today?" Arthur asked with a raised brow.

"I don't wanna be here."

"Follow me. We're going to see where he's going," Diana said, taking the lead and maneuvering through the crowd. She, along with the others, paused when Zeus stopped the man and wrapped an arm around him with a laugh. 

Cap gave the man a tired, easy smile and shook his head. He said something to the King that made him burst out in laugher and pat his back before letting him go. The League continued their tailing of the man as he continued to move through the crowd, watching as he suddenly lit up and moved faster towards something- no, towards some _one_.

Diana furrowed her brow when Captain Marvel walked up to her step-brother Heracles, offering him a goblet with a wide smile. The man opened his arms, taking the drink and downing it in one go before picking the man up in a tight hug. The Captain took it with a laugh, the tension in his form suddenly malting away as he was set back down. He took a sip from his goblet as Heracles led him away from the pantheon and between a pair of columns. 

"Are we gonna follow them?" Arthur asked, glancing towards Diana. She said nothing, simply continuing to move through the crowd. She stopped at the edge of it, watching as Marvel and Heracles made their way towards the stables, laughing easily alongside one another. 

"We can't. They're going to the stables. We can easily blend in here, but there's no doubt the Captain would spot us if we were to attempt to follow," Daian said with a sigh. "None of this adds up- the gala, my father, Heracles- I don't understand how he is here."

"Those costumes...are you by any chance the Justice League?" a voice came from behind the group. 6 heads whipped towards the source of the voice, finding the blue-haired man from before- Hades. "You are, aren't you? I don't know who else would wear outfits like that," he said with a smirk, glancing at where the group had been staring before looking Flash up and down. 

"Lord Hades- uh, yes. Yes, we are," Diana said, swallowing thickly.

"Thought so- my son never shuts up about you guys," the God said with a chuckle. "Anyways- I actually wanted to speak with you about something," he said, glancing around the group. "See, I have a problem that I believe you could assist me with."

\- - -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sleepy rn so pretend there's something clever here begging you guys for comments.


	10. The Gala Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The League continues their night at the Gala.

\- - -

**"Thought so- my son never shuts up about you guys," the God said with a chuckle. "Anyways- I actually wanted to speak with you about something," he said, glancing around the group. "See, I have a problem that I believe you could assist me with."**

\- - -

Diana gave the God a confused look. "What could _we_ possibly help _you_ with, Uncle?"

The Lord of the Underworld grinned, taking a sip of his goblet and glancing back towards the stables. His grin widened ever so slightly before his gaze went back to the heroes. "Not here- come with me. This is a private matter."

"Sir, with all due respect, we can't-"

The blue-haired God silenced Superman with a look, taking another sip from his goblet before walking through the heroes and right towards the stables. Confused looks were exchanged between the group before they followed him away from the party and towards both Captain Marvel and Heracles.

"Captain," Hades said as he came closer, the man in question glancing up at him with a set jaw as he gripped his own goblet tightly, entire body locking up with tension at the sight of the people behind the God. Heracles put a hand on the hero's shoulder and he relaxed slightly- but everyone could tell he was still tense. 

The raven was avoiding looking at the league, choosing instead to stare at the Lord of the Underworld. Hades glanced towards Heracles and shooed him with his empty hand. "Go- Go find your dad or something. I have business with these guys," he said, the demigod sighing and sliding off the fencing he and Marvel were currently sitting on and leaving the group alone.

"I _assume_ you already know Captain Marvel," Hades said, gesturing towards the raven with a smirk as he climbed down from the fence as well. The man finally looked at them, but quickly lowered his gaze and lifted his goblet to his mouth. 

Diana tensed at the sight, seemingly the urge to grab the goblet from the man and Hades' smirk grew. "Captain Marvel here is Zeus's Champion- or well, he likes to _say_ that he's his Champion, but he's actually _Shazam's_ champion. My idiot of a brother just thinks _he_ owns this guy because the Captain can call upon his lightning," Hades said with a roll of his eyes. The man in question looked at him with a betrayed expression- probably because this was the most they had ever heard about Marvel's powers. 

"I mean really if you wanna get technical he'd be _my_ champion since he's my-"

"-first ch-choice when it comes to fixing Godly problems! I mean, uh, w-what with the whole Champion of Magic thing, of course, whoever asks me for help would- uh, would think I belong to them- am I right?" Captain Marvel interrupted, nudging the blue-haired God tensely, his face the definition of nervous.

Hades rolled his eyes again and took another drink. "Mhm, sure, what he said. Look, his relation to me and the other Gods isn't what's important right now anyway," he said, glancing around the group. "What _is_ important is why I called you over here," Marvel looked at him with a furrowed brow.

"We're talking about this _now?"_

"They're here, aren't they?"

"Yes but-"

"Then we are. _You're_ the one that wanted to skip out on this whole thing in the first place go talk to them right away anyway."

"That's- that's different. I didn't-"

"It's really not."

"Uh- guys?" Flash spoke up, glancing between the two. "What's- what's the problem here? How can we help? We can worry about Cap and Gods and all that stuff later- right now, let's just help Mr. Hades here with whatever problem he has."

The God straightened, the Captain behind him muttering childishly under his breath. "Right- well, uh, how do I put this?" the blue-haired God asked before throwing back the rest of his drink.

"My Bident is gone."

\- - -

  
"I'm sorry...your what?" Green Lantern asked with a raised eyebrow. "What- what's a Bident? Is that like, a- a trident but with two spikes instead of three?" he asked with a confused chuckle. Arthur glanced at him and nodded his head slowly.

"Wait, _seriously?"_

"If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Hades, what's wrong with the fact that your bident was stolen? Besides the theft itself, of course- can't you conjure a new one or something?" Superman asked, tilting his head in question.

The Lord of the Underworld snatched Marvel's drink, taking a sip of the golden liquid and nudging the raven expectantly. "uh- uhh...Fine. Um...Hades' bident is a dangerous weapon-"

"Dangerous like that helmet you stole?" Batman interrupted with a narrowed gaze.

Marvel swallowed thickly, rubbing the back of his neck as the God beside him's grip tightened on his goblet. "Uh...y-yeah. Kind of. The Helm of darkness is _dangerous_ , don't get me wrong, if it ended up in the wrong hands' things wouldn't be good- but the _bident_..." he shook his head. "It's too powerful to even be _in_ the mortal world."

"What does that mean, Captain?" Superman asked.

"Uhm, well...Hades' bident is the key to Tartarus. That's where the most wicked, sinister, wretched evils of old are sealed away," Cap explained, moving his hand in a fluid motion and making a fine golden dust float in the air. The magical dust shifted and moved to form the images he desired as he moved his hand. The dust showed a firey pit with a seal over it, dark energy ebbing outward from the hole. 

"If someone were to _unlock_ that gate," the dust shifted to show the seal breaking, fracturing and shattering into pieces before a gnarled, clawed hand reached up and grabbed the edge of the pit. "It would unleash not only the worst souls of humanity but monsters the likes of which haven't been seen in countless millennia."

Diana froze.

"The _Titans_...." she breathed, eyes wide and full of fear.

"I'm gonna assume we aren't talking about the teenagers out in Jump City here," Hal said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"The Titans are the parents for myself and my brothers and sisters. They're ethereal, ancient beings, tied to the very assistance of this world itself," Hades said, tossing the goblet over his shoulder and into the mass of clouds. Marvel glanced back at it before shaking his head and turning his attention back towards the group.

"We managed to defeat them and trap them in Tartarus millennia ago, but if they were to get loose..." the God of the Underworld shook his head. "It's not going to happen, let's just leave it at that."

"So why do you need our help with this?" Batman asked, gaze flicking between Captain Marvel and Hades. "It's obvious you know Captain Marvel fairly well. What's stopping him from getting this artifact on his own? He's already 'retrieved' your helmet."

Marvel dropped his gaze again and Hades' hand curled into a fist. "Marvel may be talented, but it's safer to try and get the damned thing back as a unit. Unless you're unwilling to work with him, which in that case I'll just send him alone and he can handle it himself," he said, his eyes narrowing in challenge towards the Dark Knight. 

"I just assumed that since you were supposedly Earth's _defenders_..." 

Wonder Woman stepped between the pair, clearing her throat and giving the God a slightly nervous smile. "Of course, we'll help, Uncle," she said, giving Batman a pointed look before turning her attention back towards the God of the Underworld. "What do we need to do?"

Hades glanced at the demigod beside him, who was busy rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding looking at the group. He nudged the man, and Cap came back to them. "Huh? Oh, uh- Cyborg. My working theory is that someone used a boom tube to get into the vault where the Bident is stored and stole it that way. The demons said no one came in or out- and I think Cyborg could trace that signature and maybe it'll lead us to whoever took the weapon."

"And we're just gonna trust demons now?" Hal asked, raising a brow and glancing around the group. "How do we know _they_ didn't just take it?" 

"Deimos and Enyo are some of my closest advisors- I trust them with my immortal life," Hades said with a smirk. "There's no way they would have taken it. They _know better,"_ he growled, smirk still on his face as his hair erupted in fire. 

His heroes turned their eyes on it, and Marvel nudged the God. He glanced up and rolled his eyes, the fire quickly going out. "Now that we all know what's going to happen, why don't we get back to this party? If my brother catches us out here being anti-social he'll throw a fit," Hades said, his demeanor that of a person very clearly holding back some kind of anger for the sake of someone else. 

Captain Marvel nodded, glancing around the group. "I'll uh, I'll see you guys back at the Watchtower," he said, maneuvering between them as he made his way back towards the crowd. 

"Aw, come on Cap- you don't wanna hang out with us?" Flash asked and a slightly nervous grin. Marvel gave him an apologetic smile, and shook his head.

"I uh- sorry, Flash," he said, turning back around and heading into the crowd. Diana caught sight of him heading towards Heracles and Theseus- his stark white cape easy to see amongst the crowd of gold and velvet colors. He greeted the demigods like old friends and they welcomed him ass such- something that only served to confuse the Amazon further. 

"Dang...well, so much for understanding why he's here," Flash said as the heroes walked back towards the party. Hades had already left them and was standing amongst some of the other Gods, the brunette from before back in his arms as the group he was with laughed at something he said.

"Diana, is this really as big of a deal as they say it is?" Clark asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She sighed, nodding and turning back towards her teammates.

"Yes- the gates of Tartarus cannot be allowed to open. The Titans would destroy the world- and there would be nothing we could do to stop them," she said, hand curling into a fist.

"Maybe we should just go, then- see what we can figure out on our own?" Aquaman suggested. "It couldn't hurt to try."

"You may leave if you wish, but I have to stay. My father makes it very clear that this gala is mandatory, and he is not someone you want to upset," Wonder Woman replied, grabbing a goblet off a silver tray as a nymph passed.

"If you're staying, I'll stay," Clark said, glancing around at the others. "I'd hate for you to suffer through his alone."

"Yeah, I mean, how often do you get to go to a party thrown by literal Gods?" Flash asked with a grin. "Hey, you guys think Hermes is here? Jay said that he's apparently got something to do with speed, and if he does, I'm _totally_ challenging him to a race."

Hal sighed. "Fine...I mean if Flash is gonna do something that stupid, of course, I'm gonna stay to see it."

No one ended up leaving, despite the concerns.

Whenever the party began to thin out hours later, the League had retired to one of the gallantly decorated tables, choosing to people- or, uh, God-watch rather than socialize. Even Diana, who actually knew most of the Gods and demigods here, chose to simply relax at the table rather than spend time talking. 

Half of the table took the party in whole-heartedly, while the other half only had eyes for one man- Diana, Clark, and Bruce kept their eyes locked on Marvel as he talked and laughed with various deities, avoided flirtatious demigods and came back to talk to Hades every hour.

The trio watched as Marvel snorted into his hand, spilling his goblet as Heracles laughed. Someone started playing a lute, the chords drifting through the pantheon and causing some of the gods to sway and smile. Heracles clapped Marvel on the back, causing him to stumble forward slightly and turn back to glare at him. The brunette-haired woman that ad been on Hades' arm all night tapped his shoulder, causing him to spin around and look at her.

She said something to him and as chuckled, holding out his hand for her to take. She paused before laughing and taking his hand, allowing him to lead her into the crowd. They started to dance, catching the attention of a few gods and goddesses. Superman furrowed his brow when the goddess said something and Marvel replied. 

"What's wrong, Clark?" Diana asked, glancing at the man.

"Uhh...nothing...i'm just trying to put two and two together," he said, leaning back in his chair slightly. "The woman Captain Marvel's dancing with- she just told him he's a better dancer than his father."

"How would she know his father?" Batman asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"Perhaps he's a demigod- Persephone may have borne a child with a human, and Marvel could be it- it would explain why he can consume ambrosia with such ease," Diana said, glancing at the pair.

Captain Marvel chuckled in the distance, shaking his head at the Goddess as they danced.

"He just said that they both know that his father has two left feet," Superman said, continuing to watch. "I wonder what else he isn't telling us..." he said, watching as the pair spun, their feet moving in sync with the other dancers around them.

"That's what I worry about..." Batman muttered. 

"To be fair, you worry about a lot of things, Spooky."

\- - -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will launch Billy off of Mount Olympus with a sock stuffed into his mouth if you people don't comment.


End file.
